Eye-Witness History

A Radical Suffragist in Washington D.C.

Elizabeth Kalb was a young woman looking for a job in 1918. War still raged in Europe. And in Washington DC, the National Woman’s Party was still fighting for the right to vote. Since they urgently needed help with a big demonstration, Elizabeth volunteered.

Meaning to stay a few weeks, she was hired as staff and stayed until suffrage was won. Living and working in the same building had challenges, but also brought together staff and volunteers in one large family. Elizabeth, an only child, loved the friendships and working together.

And enjoying the good outweighed the bad: detention at the Capitol, arrests, jeering crowds and assaults by police. The flu epidemic swept through the building and work was non-stop. She describes all this and more in letters to her mother. The result is a lively and detailed account that makes the past come alive.

As an eye-witness, Elizabeth reports in-the-moment what she sees. (Including from the Guard Room of the Senate Building!) But there was a lot happening outside that place and moment that shaped what she experienced. Author Shirley Marshall provides essential context of the fascinating battle for the right to vote.

In 1921, with suffrage won, the National Woman’s Party held a celebration in DC. Elizabeth was joined by her mother and grandmother at the big event. And then she quickly left town! Ready for a break from work, Elizabeth’s next adventure is told in California Cruising with Elizabeth, Rearview Publishing, 2025.

California Cruising with Elizabeth

Elizabeth and her mother moved to California, planning to join her father. And then they found auto-camping was all the rage! So in 1922, Elizabeth learned to be mechanic and driver for their new Ford Model T. Nature was a first love, so she and her mother spent two months in Big Basin Redwood Forest and six months in the Palm Springs Desert. In between, they enjoyed shorter stops at City-sponsored camps.

Elizabeth describes the beauties, as well as the challenges, of woods and desert. And brings the reader into a world of makeshift camp stoves, powerful storms and life in the 1920s. Equally important, she enjoyed and describes new friendships. This includes two Chinese college students, who join them on a camping trip, and members of the Agua Caliente band who teach them about desert living — and their challenging times.

But they could not camp forever. Elizabeth needed work and wanted to see the world. So they left the desert in May 1923. Over the next few years, she did find some employment. Most importantly, however, she grabbed an opportunity for another amazing adventure…

For release in 2026

Fighters, Writers & Ghosts: Peking at War

In 1925, Elizabeth set sail for Peking [Beijing]. She was an unpaid reporter for the American Committee for Fair Play in China via its founder — her mother! Living and working in a war zone, getting to know people across the city, she brings vividly to life a rapidly changing society.

And because these are letters home, they are personal as well as ‘business.’ Her descriptions highlight the wide range of people she befriended, from future leaders to a rickshaw driver. And through it all, she balances serious and amusing with equal attention.