Suffrage parade in Rochester, New York, Aug. 15, 1914 [Photograph]

The women in the picture wore "dominoes". A domino is a hooded robe. These types of robes were worn by priests and other religious people, such as monks. A domino is also a type of mask that is worn at a masquerade to conceal someone's identity. In this parade, the women wore the dominoes and the masks so that the public would pay attention to their message, not to them. The placards they carried advertised an upcoming lecture by Reverend Anna Howard Shaw and others. 

Rochester Museum & Science Center Collection