08/20/2026
Cornelia Cassidy Davis broke barriers for women throughout her career.
She was the first woman admitted to the Life Drawing Class at the McMicken School of Design, now the Art Academy of Cincinnati, opening doors for women pursuing formal artistic education.
Her work also documented Indigenous cultures and communities of the Southwest, capturing ceremonies, traditions, and daily life through her art.
Perhaps her most lasting legacy, however, was her work in the women’s suffrage movement. Davis entered a statewide poster competition with her design, “Let Ohio Women Vote.” Her poster won the competition and became an important visual symbol of the campaign for women’s voting rights in Ohio.
Davis continued advocating for suffrage throughout her life. She died in 1920, just months before the ratification of the 19th Amendment granted women the constitutional right to vote.
Through her art, advocacy, and determination to challenge barriers, Cornelia Cassady Davis left an important mark on Cincinnati, Ohio, and the history of women’s suffrage.
