The Victoria Woodhull
**Made to Order**
The year 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in United States elections. The 19th Amendment to the US constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920, but much of the work within the women’s suffrage movement happened during the century before. In honor of this monumental anniversary, I have created some pieces of jewelry inspired by the amazing women who pushed for gender equality through the decades. This is a project close to my heart, and one that I plan to add to over time.
The Victoria Woodhull Necklace:
“If Congress refuse to listen to and grant what women ask, there is but one course left then to pursue. What is there left for women to do but to become the mothers of the future government?” - Victoria Woodhull (1838 – 1927)
Victoria Woodhull’s legacy is profound, controversial, and unconventional. She is best known for being the first US woman to run for president, in the 1872 election, nominated by the Equal Rights Party. Woodhull’s platform supported women's suffrage, equal rights, an eight-hour workday, and welfare for the poor. She nominated abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass as her running mate.
In addition to being a leader in the suffrage movement, Woodhull had a varied (and at times strange) list of other accomplishments. She was an activist for labor reform and civil rights. She was an advocate for the concept of “free love”, which meant that women were free to marry, divorce, and bear children without government approval or interference. She was famously one of the first women to proudly divorce her husband of 11 years (because of his drinking, womanizing, and physical abuse), during a time when divorce was considered quite scandalous. She went on to marry twice more after her first marriage and was a proponent of women making these choices for themselves.
She first became financially independent as a practitioner of magnetic healing, and she was a member of the spiritualist movement in the 1870s (a movement that focused on mediumship and trance in order to communicate with the spirit world). Woodhull and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, were the first women to operate a brokerage firm on Wall Street, and they were also amongst the first women founders of a newspaper in the United States, Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly.
Later in life, Woodhull uncharacteristically turned to religion (she previously opposed organized religion) and actually renounced some of the more progressive beliefs that she had previously espoused. While her later-life views on various social issues were contradictory and disappointing to many of the forward-thinking women she inspired, it’s important to recognize the progressive and trailblazing work that she did early in her career. She was complex, if not controversial. Some of the best leaders are.
About the necklace:
When I designed this piece in tribute to Victoria Woodhull, I wanted to make it bold, complex, and a little bit scandalous, while also evoking the style of the Victorian era. This vintage-style piece features one strand of hand-linked faceted black onyx beads, from which cascades another strand of silver chain, interspersed with dramatic black obsidian dropdown pieces. Wear this to your next spiritualist seance. Or better yet, wear it to the polls when you go to vote!
The beaded strand which sits upon the collar bone measures approximately 15 inches around, with a 3.5 inch extender chain (alternate lengths may be available upon request; please message me with your request). The longest of the dropdown pieces hangs approximately 3 inches in length.
Please note that this necklace is delicate. It should be handled with care and stored properly when not wearing to keep it from tangling.
Before ordering, please read the product description in full, as well as the additional information below:
**Made to Order**
The year 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in United States elections. The 19th Amendment to the US constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920, but much of the work within the women’s suffrage movement happened during the century before. In honor of this monumental anniversary, I have created some pieces of jewelry inspired by the amazing women who pushed for gender equality through the decades. This is a project close to my heart, and one that I plan to add to over time.
The Victoria Woodhull Necklace:
“If Congress refuse to listen to and grant what women ask, there is but one course left then to pursue. What is there left for women to do but to become the mothers of the future government?” - Victoria Woodhull (1838 – 1927)
Victoria Woodhull’s legacy is profound, controversial, and unconventional. She is best known for being the first US woman to run for president, in the 1872 election, nominated by the Equal Rights Party. Woodhull’s platform supported women's suffrage, equal rights, an eight-hour workday, and welfare for the poor. She nominated abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass as her running mate.
In addition to being a leader in the suffrage movement, Woodhull had a varied (and at times strange) list of other accomplishments. She was an activist for labor reform and civil rights. She was an advocate for the concept of “free love”, which meant that women were free to marry, divorce, and bear children without government approval or interference. She was famously one of the first women to proudly divorce her husband of 11 years (because of his drinking, womanizing, and physical abuse), during a time when divorce was considered quite scandalous. She went on to marry twice more after her first marriage and was a proponent of women making these choices for themselves.
She first became financially independent as a practitioner of magnetic healing, and she was a member of the spiritualist movement in the 1870s (a movement that focused on mediumship and trance in order to communicate with the spirit world). Woodhull and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, were the first women to operate a brokerage firm on Wall Street, and they were also amongst the first women founders of a newspaper in the United States, Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly.
Later in life, Woodhull uncharacteristically turned to religion (she previously opposed organized religion) and actually renounced some of the more progressive beliefs that she had previously espoused. While her later-life views on various social issues were contradictory and disappointing to many of the forward-thinking women she inspired, it’s important to recognize the progressive and trailblazing work that she did early in her career. She was complex, if not controversial. Some of the best leaders are.
About the necklace:
When I designed this piece in tribute to Victoria Woodhull, I wanted to make it bold, complex, and a little bit scandalous, while also evoking the style of the Victorian era. This vintage-style piece features one strand of hand-linked faceted black onyx beads, from which cascades another strand of silver chain, interspersed with dramatic black obsidian dropdown pieces. Wear this to your next spiritualist seance. Or better yet, wear it to the polls when you go to vote!
The beaded strand which sits upon the collar bone measures approximately 15 inches around, with a 3.5 inch extender chain (alternate lengths may be available upon request; please message me with your request). The longest of the dropdown pieces hangs approximately 3 inches in length.
Please note that this necklace is delicate. It should be handled with care and stored properly when not wearing to keep it from tangling.
Before ordering, please read the product description in full, as well as the additional information below:
**Made to Order**
The year 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in United States elections. The 19th Amendment to the US constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920, but much of the work within the women’s suffrage movement happened during the century before. In honor of this monumental anniversary, I have created some pieces of jewelry inspired by the amazing women who pushed for gender equality through the decades. This is a project close to my heart, and one that I plan to add to over time.
The Victoria Woodhull Necklace:
“If Congress refuse to listen to and grant what women ask, there is but one course left then to pursue. What is there left for women to do but to become the mothers of the future government?” - Victoria Woodhull (1838 – 1927)
Victoria Woodhull’s legacy is profound, controversial, and unconventional. She is best known for being the first US woman to run for president, in the 1872 election, nominated by the Equal Rights Party. Woodhull’s platform supported women's suffrage, equal rights, an eight-hour workday, and welfare for the poor. She nominated abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass as her running mate.
In addition to being a leader in the suffrage movement, Woodhull had a varied (and at times strange) list of other accomplishments. She was an activist for labor reform and civil rights. She was an advocate for the concept of “free love”, which meant that women were free to marry, divorce, and bear children without government approval or interference. She was famously one of the first women to proudly divorce her husband of 11 years (because of his drinking, womanizing, and physical abuse), during a time when divorce was considered quite scandalous. She went on to marry twice more after her first marriage and was a proponent of women making these choices for themselves.
She first became financially independent as a practitioner of magnetic healing, and she was a member of the spiritualist movement in the 1870s (a movement that focused on mediumship and trance in order to communicate with the spirit world). Woodhull and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, were the first women to operate a brokerage firm on Wall Street, and they were also amongst the first women founders of a newspaper in the United States, Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly.
Later in life, Woodhull uncharacteristically turned to religion (she previously opposed organized religion) and actually renounced some of the more progressive beliefs that she had previously espoused. While her later-life views on various social issues were contradictory and disappointing to many of the forward-thinking women she inspired, it’s important to recognize the progressive and trailblazing work that she did early in her career. She was complex, if not controversial. Some of the best leaders are.
About the necklace:
When I designed this piece in tribute to Victoria Woodhull, I wanted to make it bold, complex, and a little bit scandalous, while also evoking the style of the Victorian era. This vintage-style piece features one strand of hand-linked faceted black onyx beads, from which cascades another strand of silver chain, interspersed with dramatic black obsidian dropdown pieces. Wear this to your next spiritualist seance. Or better yet, wear it to the polls when you go to vote!
The beaded strand which sits upon the collar bone measures approximately 15 inches around, with a 3.5 inch extender chain (alternate lengths may be available upon request; please message me with your request). The longest of the dropdown pieces hangs approximately 3 inches in length.
Please note that this necklace is delicate. It should be handled with care and stored properly when not wearing to keep it from tangling.
Before ordering, please read the product description in full, as well as the additional information below:
Specifications:
Necklace length: 15 Inches plus extender
Materials: Silver Plated Copper Wire, Black Onyx, Glass Beads, Silver Plated Filigree Beads, Black Obsidian, Iron Clasp, Stainless Steel Chain
Closure: Lobster Clasp
Made To Order (allow extra processing time)
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All jewelry is unique, hand-crafted, and many pieces are made to order. Due to the nature of handcrafting, as well as the varied nature of crystals and gemstones, pieces may vary slightly in detail from those photographed here.
