Conclusion

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Life’s coverage of the New Hampshire presidential primary, published just before the election of 1952, opened up a glimpse of women participating in the political arena. It was a rare view from a period of time well before questions of gender inequities had gained any traction. Lisa Larsen’s photographs illuminated a domestic sphere transformed by women who were beginning a tenuous participation in the political process. While Larsen and Eisenstaedt were crisscrossing New Hampshire there were few opportunities to see the candidates themselves. Today a presidential candidate will make scores of visits to both Iowa and New Hampshire. In 1952 most of the major candidates made but a single visit to the state. Larsen, in particular, seemed determined to understand an electoral mechanism that was unfamiliar and close to the ground. After two decades of Democrat control of the White House, there was good reason to think that much was at stake in this election and it was being decided by a relatively small group of citizens. When the results came in the Republican victor had gathered 46,661 votes, approximately 11,000 more than the second place finisher. Although it would be Eisenhower who would win both the New Hampshire primary and the general election, it is worth considering that the enduring story may have been about the expanding boundaries of the political sphere and who could enter it. Women were literally beginning to see themselves in politics. New Hampshire’s primary was a proving ground for full participation, a training course in how it could be done.