Guide to the Dead Feminists Broadside Collection MSS.2014.09.25
Lale Yasemin Kaya
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
October 2014
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
special.collections@sjsu.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: Dead Feminists Broadside Collection
creator:
O'Leary, Chandler
Identifier/Call Number: MSS-2014-09-25
Physical Description:
1 flat file drawers
Date (inclusive): 2008-2015
Abstract: Dead Feminists Broadside Collection is also known as the "Dead Feminists" Series. Each hand lettered, letterpress-printed
broadside features a quote by women in history and juxtaposes it into contemporary social and political issues.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in two series. Series I: Broadsides (2011-2015) documents nine of the broadsides that were produced
by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring. The series is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by title. Series
II: Postcards (2008-2010) documents ten postcards produced by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring. The series is arranged
chronologically and then alphabetically by title. Each postcard is filed in a negative sleeve.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has been assigned to the San Jose State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the SJSU Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply
to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Biography
The Dead Feminists series of posters and postcards was a collaboration illustrated and lettered by Chandler O'Leary, then
printed by Jessica Spring. Based out of Washington state, O'Leary is an artist who graduated from Rhode Island School of Design
in 2004. She is the publishes her illustrations under her house brand, Anagram Press. Receiving her MFA from Columbia College
Chicago Center for Books & Paper, Spring is the proprietor of Springtide Press, releasing collections of artist books, broadsides,
and ephemera. Together, the two published their poster series as a book,
Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color in 2016, published by Sasquatch Books.
Preferred Citation
Dead Feminists Broadside Collection, MSS-2014-09-25, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Processing Information
Processed and edited by: Lale Yasemin Kaya
ArchiveSpace input by: Lale Yasemin Kaya
Reviewed by: Danelle Moon and Diane Malmstrom
Date completed: December 2014
Edited: January 2015
Revised by Eilene Lueck, relabeled folders for updated container list: October 2022
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of nine printed broadsides and ten postcards.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Women artists -- California –Sources.
Feminism in art.
Broadsides -- Specimens.
Feminists -- Quotations.
Printing -- Specimens.
Series I: Broadsides
2011-2015
Physical Description: 9 Folders
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by title. Posters are located in one flat file drawer 04-04
in Vault 1.
drawer 04-04, Folder 1
Peace Unfolds
2011
Scope and Contents
No. 12 in the Dead Feminists series
Edition size: 166
Poster size: 10 x 18 inches
Printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press, on archival, 100% rag paper. Each piece is numbered and signed by both
artists.
I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world. — Sadako Sasaki
Colophon reads:
According to Japanese legend, one who folds 1000 origami cranes will be granted a wish. After being diagnosed with leukemia—a
result of her proximity to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima—Sadako Sasaki (1943 – 1955) began folding paper, hoping to live.
With her best friend Chizuko, she finished 644 cranes before her death at age 12. Sadako was buried with a wreath of 1000
cranes completed by her schoolmates, and is honored with the Children's Peace Monument in the center of Hiroshima.
Illustrated by Chandler O'Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, with kanji by Hiroshi Oki, in memory of those lost and suffering
in Japan—and with a wish for hope, peace and life, once again.
On the left is is Cranes and New Year Sun by Utagawa Hiroshige; on the right is Katsushika Hokusai's famous Great Wave Off
Kanagawa. You can see a reference to Great Wave at the bottom of Cranes—making references to both other artists and one's
own older work is a common convention in Japanese art.
Bibliography
O'Leary, Chandler. (30 May 2011). Peace Unfolds. Please refer to Chandler O'Leary's website.
drawer 04-04, Folder 2
Paper Chase
2011
Scope and Contents
Paper Chase: No. 13 in the Dead Feminists series
Edition size: 129
Poster size: 10 x 18 inches
Printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press, on archival, 100% rag paper. Each piece is numbered and signed by both
artists.
Colophon reads:
Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941), born Adeline Virginia Stephen, grew up with a steady stream of notable authors visiting her
London home. While Virginia and her sister Vanessa had unlimited access to their father's extensive library, their brothers
were sent to Cambridge. This inequality and other Victorian double standards figured prominently in Virginia's writing. In
1915, she married Leonard Woolf and moved to Hogarth House. There they established the Hogarth Press, publishing the work
of T.S. Eliot, E.M. Forster, Vita Sackville-West, the first translations of Sigmund Freud as well as Virginia's own novels.
As editor, typesetter and binder, Virginia had the freedom to control not just the content but the physicality of letterforms
and space on a page, declaring herself "the only woman in England free to write what I like." With Leonard as printer and
Vanessa a frequent illustrator, the Hogarth Press published more than 500 books, many far too experimental to be considered
by mainstream publishers.
Virginia's life-long struggle with depression began with a breakdown at age 13 following her mother's death, and ended after
multiple attempts at suicide when she walked into a river with pocketfuls of stones.
Illustrated by Chandler O'Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, with roots firmly planted in ink-and-paper soil, and souls
bound to bloom.
Bibliography
O'Leary, Chandler. (10 August 2011). Paper Chase. Please refer to Chandler O'Leary's website.
drawer 04-04, Folder 3
Signed, Sealed Soapbox
2011
Scope and Contents
Signed, Sealed, Soapbox: No. 14 in the Dead Feminists series
Edition size: 176
Poster size: 10 x 18 inches
Printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press, on archival, 100% rag (cotton) paper. Each piece is numbered and signed
by both artists.
Colophon reads:
Jane (Franklin) Mecom (1712 – 1794) was born in Boston's North End, the youngest daughter of a soap maker. Married at fifteen,
she had no formal education but was a voracious reader of books supplied by her brother. She ran a boarding house and made
soap to support her ailing husband, her elderly parents and her twelve children. She outlived all but one of them. Her "Book
of Ages" chronicles the deaths of these loved ones, but what little we know of Jane herself can be traced to a lifetime of
correspondence with her beloved brother.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790) attended school for just two years before becoming a printer's apprentice at age twelve,
but was eventually awarded honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale and Oxford. He founded the first lending library in America,
reformed the colonial postal system and became the first U.S. Postmaster General. He espoused the values of thrift, hard
work, education, community spirit and tolerance, and opposed authoritarianism in both religion and politics.
Despite the differences in their education and circumstances, Benjamin largely treated his sister as an equal, and penned
more letters to her than any other person in his life. He sent his writings and political essays to get Jane's opinion, and
notable figures of the day visited her to pay their respects out of deference to the famous Franklin. Benjamin provided
decades of financial support for Jane and her children, and upon his death bequeathed her a comfortable living — as well
as public trusts to the cities of Boston and Philadelphia to fund mortgages, school scholarships and eventually establish
the Franklin Institute of Technology.
Illustrated by Chandler O'Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, 100% occupied with Benjamin's wise words — and deeds — as
he signed the Declaration of Independence: "Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang
separately."
Bibliography
O'Leary, Chandler. (15 November 2011). Signed, Sealed Soapbox. Please refer to Chandler O'Leary's website.
drawer 04-04, Folder 3
Love Nest
2012
Scope and Contents
Love Nest: No. 15 in the Dead Feminists series
Edition size: 126
Poster size: 10 x 18 inches
Printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press, on archival, 100% rag (cotton) paper. Each piece is numbered and signed
by both artists.
Colophon reads:
Emma Goldman (1869 – 1940) was born in Kovno, part of the Russian Empire (now Lithuania). She moved to New York in 1885 to
live with relatives, supporting herself with factory work. In the following year, news of the Chicago Haymarket riot changed
Goldman's life. In honor of the riot victims and the labor movement, she determined to "dedicate myself to the memory of
my martyred comrades, to make their cause my own." She joined Alexander Berkman—another Russian immigrant—in spreading her
vision of an ideal society, based on the anarchist principle of absolute freedom. Goldman founded the political and literary
journal "Mother Earth," and toured the country speaking about anarchism, birth control and economic freedom for women. She
was arrested numerous times over her unconventional opinions, accused of disseminating illegal information and inciting
to riot.
At a time when even her fellow anarchists questioned her support of homosexuality, Goldman spoke out: "It is a tragedy, I
feel, that people of different sexual type are caught in a world which shows so little understanding … and is so crassly
indifferent to the various gradations and variations of gender." She openly opposed U.S. entry into WWI, was jailed once
more for obstruction of the draft, and finally deported back to Russia under the 1918 Alien Act. She spent the rest of her
life in exile, supporting anarchist causes abroad. After her death, Goldman's body was repatriated and buried in Chicago— near
the Haymarket anarchists that had so inspired her.
Illustrated by Chandler O'Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, who with Goldman "demand freedom for both sexes, freedom of
action, freedom in love and freedom in motherhood."
Bibliography
O'Leary, Chandler. (13 June 2012). Love Nest. Please refer to Chandler O'Leary's website.
drawer 04-04, Folder 4
Gun Shy
2013
Scope and Contents
Gun Shy: No. 17 in the Dead Feminists series
Edition size: 151
Poster size: 10 x 18 inches
Printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press, on archival, 100% rag (cotton) paper. Each piece is numbered and signed
by both artists.
The edition number we choose for each print in our series is always significant in some way—whether we call attention to it
or not. In the case of Gun Shy, we've created an edition of 151 prints to represent each person injured or killed in a shooting
rampage in 2012. In light of that sobering number, we've chosen to donate a portion of our proceeds to Demand A Plan. A campaign
of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Demand a Plan is a national, bipartisan coalition working to make America's communities safer
by keeping illegal guns out of dangerous hands.
Detail of "Gun Shy" letterpress broadside by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring
Colophon reads:
Annie Oakley (1860 – 1926) was born Phoebe Ann Mosey (or Moses) near Greenville, Ohio. Her Quaker parents raised seven children
on their farm until Annie's father was caught in a blizzard and succumbed to pneumonia. By age ten, Annie was sent to the
poor farm, then to live with an abusive family for several years. She escaped back to her mother's home, taught herself to
shoot a rifle, and quickly paid off their mortgage by selling game. In 1875 Annie defeated well-known marksman Frank Butler
in a shooting contest — and married him shortly afterward. Annie became Butler's assistant in his sharp shooting show, but
as audiences clearly preferred Annie, the two soon switched roles. Annie was a curiosity, dressed in a homemade costume that
modestly covered her petite frame but also allowed her to shoot with athletic grace. The couple joined Buffalo Bill Cody's
Wild West show, where Annie performed for 17 years, traveling to New York, Paris and London. Upon seeing her shoot the wick
off a burning candle, the famous Chief Sitting Bull adopted Annie, bestowing the nickname "Watanya Cicilla" (Little Sure-Shot).
In 1894 Thomas Edison captured her performance on film at his studio in New Jersey, making her the first cowgirl to appear
in a motion picture.
Despite not being from the West, Annie defined our notion of a cowgirl as a self-reliant, strong woman. She advocated for
equal pay, and went to great lengths to defend her reputation. She challenged William Randolph Hearst in a series of libel
lawsuits over a false newspaper story, winning 54 of 55 cases at great personal expense. After her retirement in 1913, Annie
continued to tour the country, teaching over 15,000 women how to use firearms responsibly.
Illustrated by Chandler O'Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, demanding that our federal government enact strict controls
to end gun violence.
Bibliography
O'Leary, Chandler. (28 February 2013). Gun Shy. Please refer to Chandler O'Leary's website.
drawer 04-04, Folder 4
Nightsong
2013
Scope and Contents
Nightsong: No. 18 in the Dead Feminists series
Edition size: 147
Poster size: 10 x 18 inches
Printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press, on archival, 100% rag (cotton) paper. Each piece is numbered and signed
by both artists.
Colophon reads:
Sarojini Chattopadhyay Naidu (1879 – 1949) — also known as "The Nightingale of India" — was born in Hyderabad, the eldest
of eight children. She was a gifted student, proficient in five languages, and by age 16 left the country to attend King's
College to pursue her interest in poetry. Inspired by the suffragist movement in England, she joined the struggle for Indian
independence, traveling the country to lecture on social welfare, women's rights and nationalism. Naidu played a leading role
during the Civil Disobedience Movement and was jailed along with Gandhi. Naidu wrote beautiful lyrical poetry, focused on
Indian themes, to inspire the nation. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Indian National Congress, and the
first woman to become the Governor of the state of Uttar Pradesh. Though Naidu humbly claimed, "I am only a woman, only a
poet," her birthday is celebrated as Women's Day throughout India.
Illustrated by Chandler O'Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, calling for an end to violence against women all over the world.
Bibliography
O'Leary, Chandler. (10 September 2013). Please refer to Chandler O'Leary's website.
drawer 04-04, Folder 5
Focal Point
2014
Scope and Contents
Focal Point: No. 19 in the Dead Feminists series
Edition size: 164
Poster size: 10 x 18 inches
Printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press, on archival, 100% rag (cotton) paper. Each piece is numbered and signed
by both artists.
Colophon reads:
Imogen Cunningham (1883 – 1976) graduated from the University of Washington in 1907, earning a degree in chemistry with her
thesis on chemical processes in photography. Shortly afterward she was hired by photographer Edward Curtis, who taught her
platinum printing and portraiture. She opened her own successful studio in Seattle, and published an article entitled "Photography
as a Profession for Women." In 1917, Cunningham and her husband and son relocated to California, where she gave birth to twin
boys. Her children and the plants in her garden then became key subjects of her work. Her experiments with double exposure
throughout the 1920s and 30s contributed to a growing appreciation of photography as art. She was a founding member of Group
f/64, a collective of influential west coast photographers including Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. The group mounted a 1932
exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, united by a manifesto declaring "photography as an art form by simple
and direct presentation." Cunningham's vision came through in both her personal and commercial work: unvarnished celebrity
portraits for Vanity Fair; documentary street photography; nudes and botanical images — a lifetime of work that continues
to challenge and intrigue viewers.
Illustrated by Chandler O'Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, grateful for artists who remind us to focus.
Bibliography
O'Leary, Chandler. (18 March 2014). Focal Point. Please refer to Chandler O'Leary's website.
drawer 04-04, Folder 5
The Veil of Knowledge
2014
Scope and Contents
The Veil of Knowledge: No. 20 in the Dead Feminists series
Edition size: 125.4
Poster size: 10 x 18 inches
Printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press, on archival, 100% rag (cotton) paper. Each piece is numbered and signed
by both artists.
Colophon reads:
Fatima Al-Fihri (c. 800 – 880) grew up in Fez, Morocco with her sister Miriam, daughters of a wealthy Tunisian merchant. The
daughters were well-educated and devoted to their community. After the death of their father, Fatima vowed to spend all her
inheritance in building a mosque, both a place for worship and a center of learning. In 859, she founded Al-Qarawiyyin, which
offered courses in grammar, rhetoric, logic, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, history, geography and music — drawing
scholars and students from all over the world. (Gerbert of Auverge — later Pope Sylvester II — studied there, and was credited
with the introduction of Arabic numbers and the concept of zero to Europe.) This important spiritual and educational center
of the Islamic world, one of the largest mosques in Africa, is considered the oldest university still in operation. As a woman
with such generosity and vision, Fatima is remembered and honored as Oum al Banine, "the mother of the children."
Illustrated by Chandler O'Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, with the knowledge that all women must have the right to an
education.
Bibliography
O'Leary, Chandler. (26 August 2014). The Veil of Knowledge. Please refer to Chandler O'Leary's website.
drawer 04-04, Folder 6
Common Threads
2015
Scope and Contents
Common Threads: No. 21 in the Dead Feminists series
Edition size: 145 prints
Poster size: 10 x 18 inches
Printed on an antique Vandercook Universal One press, on archival, 100% rag (cotton) paper. Each piece is numbered and signed
by both artists.
Colophon reads:
Rywka Lipszyc (1929 – 1945?) kept a diary from October 1943 to April 1944, while living in Poland's Łódź ghetto. Discovered
by a Russian doctor in the crematoria remains at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the diary was published in 2014, sharing Rywka's amazing
story with the world. Her parents and three siblings perished in Nazi ghettos and killing centers. Despite horrible living
conditions Rywka survived, working in the ghetto's clothing and linen workshop, learning to sew, organizing a library, and
attending classes. Her diary ends abruptly, but records reveal she was deported to Auschwitz, then liberated to a field hospital
after the war's end. No further trace of her has been found, but Rywka's words survive, a reminder of her incredible faith
despite all odds — and her dream of becoming a writer fulfilled.
Bibliography
O'Leary, Chandler. (2015). Common Threads. Please refer to Chandler O'Leary's website.
Series II: Postcards
2008-2010
Physical Description: 10 Folders
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by title. Postcards are filed in a negative sleeve. Postercards
are located in one flat file drawer 04-04 in Vault 1.
drawer 04-04, Folder 7
Come, Come
2008
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'Come, Come,' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press and Jessica
Spring of Springtime Press. 2008."
drawer 04-04, Folder 8
Victory Garden
2008
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'Victory Garden,' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press and
Jessica Spring of Springtime Press. 2008."
drawer 04-04, Folder 9
The Curie Cure
2009
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'The Curie Cure,' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press and
Jessica Spring of Springtime Press. 2009."
drawer 04-04, Folder 10
End of the Line
2009
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'End of the Line,' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press
and Jessica Spring of Springtime Press. 2009."
drawer 04-04, Folder 11
Prop Cake
2009
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'Prop Cake,' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press and Jessica
Spring of Springtime Press. 2009."
drawer 04-04, Folder 12
Tugboat Thea
2009
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'Tugboat Thea,' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press and
Jessica Spring of Springtime Press. 2009."
drawer 04-04, Folder 13
Drill, Baby, Drill
2010
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'Drill, Baby, Drill,' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press
and Jessica Spring of Springtime Press. 2010."
drawer 04-04, Folder 14
Get Handy
2010
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'Get Handy' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press and Jessica
Spring of Springtime Press. 2010."
drawer 04-04, Folder 15
Just Desserts
2010
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'Just Desserts' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press and
Jessica Spring of Springtime Press. 2010."
drawer 04-04, Folder 16
On a Mission
2010
Scope and Contents
"Reproduction of 'On a Mission' part of an ongoing series of feminist broadsides by Chandler O'Leary of Anagram Press and
Jessica Spring of Springtime Press. 2010."