The Original Feminist: Meet Jane Addams
Confession time: Before working with the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, the ColorWord Crew kinda-sorta thought Jane Addams was John Adam’s wife.
(She’s not.)
In fact, Jane Addams is one of the biggest and baddest OG feminists of the late 1800s and early 1900s. She was a thought leader, an advocate for change, and a Nobel Peace Prize Winner.
Who better to highlight this Women’s History Month?
Born a stone’s throw from ColorWord headquarters in Cedarville, Illinois, Jane became “the country’s most prominent woman” through her activism for peace, various leadership roles, writing, and establishment of Hull-House.
Inspired by settlement houses in London—shared homes in poorer, urban neighborhoods that were occupied by middle-class individuals hoping to work and research while improving neighborhood conditions—Jane opened Hull-House with Ellen Gates Starr in 1889.
Together, they hoped to “provide a center for a higher civic and social life; to institute and maintain educational and philanthropic enterprises and to investigate and improve the conditions in the industrial districts of Chicago,” (Jane Addams, Twenty Years at Hull-House, p. 112).
Hull-House quickly became a community staple, offering education classes, childcare, art studio space, public kitchens, and eventually adding bigger offerings like a swimming pool and employment bureau. It was a place where people from all walks of life could come together “to learn, to eat, to debate, and to acquire the tools necessary to put down roots in their new country.”
Photo used with permission from the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, 2022.
The success of Hull-House put Jane in the political spotlight.
She was appointed to Chicago’s Board of Education, subsequently became president of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections, then chair of the Women’s Peace Party, and finally, president of the newly-established Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, a position she held until 1929.
Concurrently, she wrote prolifically (including several books), advocated for women, children, immigrants, and Black Americans, and got kicked out of the Daughters of the American Revolution for speaking out against WWI.
She was the first American woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize, four years before her death in 1935
Photo used with permission from the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, 2022.
Today, her legacy lives on at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, which is both a permanent celebration of Jane Addams, Hull-House, and their accomplishments, as well as hosting temporary exhibits.
Which is where we come in.
This winter, ColorWord had the privilege of collaborating with JAHHM’s stellar staff to create an ad for their current exhibit: Guillermo Gómez-Peña At Hull-House.
It was a pleasure creating this weird, wild, visually arresting ad in an attempt to capture the essence of artist Gómez-Peña while including a hat-tip to Hull-House.
If you want to learn more about Jane Addams—and let’s be honest, you do—visit the JAHHM. But be sure you do it in time to catch Gómez-Peña, who leaves on May 29!
And if you’re looking to collaborate on an advertising campaign of your own, send us a note to get started. We’re here for concept pitches, copywriting, design, social media strategy, delivery of print and digital media, and every other step along the way.
Bonus points if your campaign is about Abigail Adams.
Sources
Photos courtesy of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, 2022
Jane Addams, Twenty Years at Hull-House
Hullhousemuseum.org
Nobelprize.org
Library of Congress
