Throwback to one month ago, Sunday 14th July 2024 when Opera Singer Elise Morton gave a recital of music by female composer Fanny Hensel at The Pankhurst Centre during our celebrations for Emmeline's Birthday. This is just a short excerpt of her stunning powerhouse voice and performance. Thank you so much Elise for making our celebrations so special!
We hope the story of Emmeline Pankhurst, the suffragettes and the fight for the women's vote will inspire you to vote in the 4th of July General Election. Make your voice heard! 🗳 ☑️
🎄 Behind Door No. 24... Emmeline Pankhurst! 🎄
Who else?
Merry Christmas!
Day 23
🎄 Behind Door No. 23... a bicycle! 🎄
The Pankhursts were members of the Clarion Cycling Club, and Christabel was reportedly a particularly proficient and enthusiastic cyclist. She rode a Rudge Whitworth bicycle, a good quality bike that would have cost her around £30.
🎄 Behind Door No. 22... Ethel Smyth! 🎄
Ethel Smyth was a composer who joined the WSPU in 1910. In 1911, she composed the music to The March of the Women (to words by Cicely Hamilton), and this song became the official anthem of the WSPU and the suffragette movement.
🎄 Behind Door No. 21... a board game! 🎄
Pank-a-Squith (named for Emmeline Pankhurst and suffrage opponent H.H. Asquith) was a board game released in 1909 and sold in WSPU shops to raise funds. It was one of a number of toys and games designed and sold to help the cause.
🎄 Behind Door No. 20... Lilian Lenton! 🎄
Lilian Lenton joined the WSPU when she was 21. She gained notoriety for her frequent arrests and escapes, including her uses of disguises. She became known as the 'tiny, wily, elusive Pimpernel' as a result.
🎄 Behind Door No. 19... suffragette jewellery! 🎄
This art nouveau brooch is silver with amethyst, peridot and clear crystal. These are the suffragette colours, but also stand for Give (Green) Women (White) the Vote (Violet). Like a lot of suffragette jewellery, this was likely an older piece that was redesigned for the campaign.
🎄 Behind Door No. 18... Mabel Capper! 🎄
Mabel Capper was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock. She joined the WSPU in 1907 and worked as the Manchester organiser. When she went on trial for her role in the 'rush' on Parliament, she turned up to court dressed entirely in suffragette colours.
🎄 Behind Door No. 17... a china plate! 🎄
This plate is part of a set made in 1909 for use at a WSPU fundraising event. The plate has the iconic 'angel of freedom' motif on it, which was designed by Sylvia Pankhurst and used on a lot of WSPU materials.
🎄 Behind Door No. 16... Kitty Marion! 🎄
Kitty Marion was a music hall performer who campaigned for the rights of female performers. She joined the WSPU in 1908 and was a key figure in a number of militant campaigns, including arson attacks.
🎄 Behind Door No. 15... a suffragette sash! 🎄
The iconic suffragette shoulder sashes were purple, white and green. These colours were devised by Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence and adopted by the WSPU. Purple means dignity, white means purity and green means hope.
🎄 Behind Door No. 14... Edith Margaret Garrud! 🎄
Edith Garrud was a martial artist and the first female ju-jitsu teacher in Britain. She joined the Women's Freedom League in 1906 and set up a self-defence club. She also trained the WSPU Bodyguard in ju-jitsu techniques.
🎄 Behind Door No. 13... a suffragette penny! 🎄
In 1913, a number of coins were defaced by suffragettes as a form of protest, who used metal punches to stamp the words 'Votes for Women' on them. Only a small number of genuine suffragette pennies still survive today.
🎄 Behind Door No. 12... Vera 'Jack' Holme! 🎄
Vera Holme (also known as Jack Holme) worked as an actor and male impersonator. She became the official chauffeur of the WSPU and the first female professional driver in London. Vera had a relationship with fellow suffragette Evelina Haverfield.
🎄 Behind Door No. 11... a WSPU Membership Card! 🎄
This card was issued from around 1906, in exchange for a signed Membership Pledge (promising not to support any parliamentary candidate until women had the vote) & 1 shilling 'entrance fee'. It was designed by Sylvia Pankhurst.
🎄 Behind Door No. 10... Hannah Mitchell! 🎄
Hannah Mitchell met Richard Pankhurst through the Independent Labour Party & Kinder Scout campaigns. She later joined the WSPU and worked as an organiser. Hannah would later serve on Manchester City Council as an ILP councillor.
🎄 Behind Door No. 9... The Suffragette! 🎄
The Suffragette was the official newspaper of the WSPU from 1912, edited by Christabel Pankhurst. The paper replaced the previous newspaper, Votes for Women, after Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence (its editor) was dismissed from the WSPU.
🎄 Behind Door No. 8... Clara Codd! 🎄
Clara Codd joined the WSPU in 1907, and in October 1908 she was arrested for taking part in the 'rush' on the House of Commons. She was also a member of the Theosophical Society, to which she devoted her life after leaving the WSPU.
🎄 Behind Door No. 7... a Holloway brooch! 🎄
This brooch was designed by Sylvia Pankhurst, and it was awarded to suffragettes who served time in Holloway prison. It consists of silver portcullis (the symbol of Parliament) and an arrow enamelled in purple, white and green.
