DISCOVERING CATHARINE
DISCOVERING CATHARINE is a 60-minute film that brings to life the precedent-setting accomplishments of Catharine Waugh McCulloch (1862-1945) Illinois attorney and suffragist.
Synopsis
Catharine attended Northwestern Law School and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1886, at a time where there were fewer than 100 women attorneys in the United States. Catharine had the needed legal and strategy skills to carry forth the work of suffrage leaders before her. She worked in Chicago with Frances Willard, Jane Adams, and Ida B. Wells, and with national leaders such as Susan B. Anthoney and Dr. Anna Shaw. She commanded audiences with a fortunate blend of persuasive arguments and good humor. In addition to drafting and lobbying for legislation to promote women’s rights, Catharine ran for elected offices and argued for women to serve on juries. Like other notable women leaders, Catharine had the lifelong support of her husband, attorney Frank McCulloch.
Catharine organized her many presentations, publications, meeting notes and legislative materials in files that are now digitized at Harvard’s Schlesinger Library. Over the last 20 years, Ann McCulloch has accessed the files and met with historians and legal scholars who have pieced together Catharine’s accomplishments. In “Discovering Catharine,” our interviews with experts help viewers appreciate the level of effort required of Catharine and others to overcome resistance to change while at the same time working within traditional expectations as wives and mothers. We also speak with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, State Senator Robyn Gabel and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum (Oregon) who all remark that growing up in Illinois, they wish they had learned of Catharine’s story.
Discovering Catharine is produced by Ann McCulloch, Susan Hope Engel (Hope Productions) and Dean Bushala (Red Branch Productions). We completed a preview version in 2024 that was screened at film festivals to enthusiastic audiences who want to learn more and are engaged with the importance of the topics today.
We are raising $250k to create 30 minutes of additional content to cover McCulloch’s groundbreaking legal collaborations with African American lawyers, and her pioneering role in global women’s legal reforms.
The expanded, full-length version will allow us to develop stories in greater depth, capturing the true scale of McCulloch’s impact. This portrait will serve as both a compelling documentary and a definitive resource on women’s leadership and democratic reform in the US. Distribution goals include streaming platforms and educational markets.
Website and trailer: www.discoveringcatharine.com