The Indian Princess Who Wasn’t There

Abstract

In February 1913, headlines exploded in newspapers across the country: “Indian Girl in Suffragists Parade”; “Dawn Mist, Indian Girl, to Ride as Suffragists;” “Indian Maidens to Ride in Parade.” Editors pounced on the story as it came across their desks on the wires. It had everything—the controversial issue of suffrage, an exotic Indian princess, a western railroad magnate, and a patriotic procession. In fact, there was no such person as Dawn Mist, only a character created by the public relations department of the Great Northern Railway. Why then had she so convincingly captured the nation’s imagination? The answer lies in white Americans’ fascination with Indians, which suffused the way they thought about suffrage.