When they set out to tell the story of Alice Paul and her colleagues, the filmmakers who created Iron Jawed Angels knew that many Americans weren't aware of this chapter in U.S. history. Determined to capture both the power and drama of the suffrage movement, the film's writers interviewed historians, delved into newspapers and studied archival photographs. The images on this page show how the writers, costume designers and actors brought suffrage history to life.

RIDING FOR LIBERTY:
Inez Milholland, known as the "woman on the horse," led the 1913 suffrage parade (right), in which thousands of women marched through the streets of Washington, D.C., to dramatize their desire to vote.

In Iron Jawed Angels, Inez Milholland (played by Julia Ormond, right) rides a white horse and wears wings. The wings are a reference to the angel figure that suffragists often incorporated in their imagery, representing an idealized vision of Justice and Liberty.

RADICAL TACTICS:
In 1917, suffragists set up a daily picket line outside the White House—a first in American history. They continued even after the nation entered World War I and, as a result, were accused of being traitors.

In one of their most radical statements, the women referred to President Wilson as "Kaiser." The "Kaiser Wilson" banner (right) was recreated word for word in Iron Jawed Angels.