From tailcoats to aprons. The opposition to women’s suffrage in Costa Rican cartoons (1923-1934)

Abstract

Received: 8 de abril de 2022.
Approved: 6 de junio de 2022.

This paper analyzes seven cartoons published in the newspapers Diario de Costa Rica and La Tribuna, and in the magazine Bohemia, between 1923 and 1934, related to the fight for women’s suffrage. The selected cartoonists expressed their opposition to women’s right to vote through their artwork. Therefore, the study of these images intents on identifying the recurring themes and symbols used by these illustrators to reflect their concerns and interests regarding the suffragists’ campaigns. For that purpose, the images are analyzed under a semiotics methodology, taking into consideration the factors involved in the process in which the meaning of the cartoons comes to life, such as the historic context, the women’s presence in the Costa Rican press during the early years of the 20th century and the cartoonists’ stance and influence. Based on that, three thematic topics can be found: gender roles inversion at home, men’s fear of losing authority, and the attacks based on stereotypes.