Good afternoon,

Welcome to a Fem Friday about women and communications! Mainly a history related one but I hope you find it interesting as you think about how we communicate today.

We start with Hedy Lamar, star of the ‘golden age’ of movies and telco pioneer. I love how being secretive is baked into her invention, and it makes me think about the power of quiet communication and of quiet connection, to win small wars as well as big ones.

She and her friend, the composer George Antheil, received a patent for an idea of a radio signaling device, or "Secret Communications System," which was a means of changing radio frequencies to keep enemies from decoding messages. Originally designed to defeat the Nazis, the system became an important step in the development of technology to maintain the security of both military communications and cellular phones.

www.biography.com/people/hedy-lamarr-9542252

Speaking of quiet communication, please enjoy this Atlantic article about the power – and the familiarity – of postcards to spread thoughts and ideas around women’s suffrage.

[I]t was common for people to display albums filled with postcards in their homes in the early 20th century. So it made sense that postcards both supporting and opposing the women’s vote were ubiquitous, especially between 1890 and 1915 in the United States. About 4,500 different suffrage-themed postcards were designed during that time, she wrote.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/10/pepe-the-anti-suffrage-frog/505406/

And here’s more on the postcards! A longer essay and another interesting one:

The postcard industry was technologically and artistically prepared to play a part in the 1908 presidential election, with postcards reaching the height of their popularity during that campaign. Although it would be impossible to quantify their direct effect on the election, postcards “offer a vivid chronicle of American political values and tastes.”

http://www.uni.edu/palczews/postcard_archive.html

Have a happy weekend in your secret life,

Alex.