Wspu Collection (#2)

Charlotte Despard, political activist and writer
Charlotte Despard, nee French (1844-1939), suffragette, novelist and Sinn Fein activist. She was an active member of the Labour Party, and joined, in turn

Mr Herbert Gladstone in the witness-box at the trial of Emmeline Pankhurst and others, 1908 (sepia photo)
STC321042 Mr Herbert Gladstone in the witness-box at the trial of Emmeline Pankhurst and others, 1908 (sepia photo) by English Photographer

Emmeline Pankhurst, Christabel Pankhurst and Flora Drummond being read the warrant for their arrest
STC321040 Emmeline Pankhurst, Christabel Pankhurst and Flora Drummond being read the warrant for their arrest, 13th October 1908 (sepia photo) by English Photographer

Emmeline Pankhurst and Christabel Pankhurst hiding in the roof garden at Clement's Inn
STC321039 Emmeline Pankhurst and Christabel Pankhurst hiding in the roof garden at Clement's Inn, 12th October 1908 (sepia photo) by English Photographer

Mr Keir Hardie addressing the First Women's Suffrage Demonstration ever held in Trafalgar Square
STC321035 Mr Keir Hardie addressing the First Women's Suffrage Demonstration ever held in Trafalgar Square, 19th May 1906 (sepia photo) by English Photographer

The Women's Right to Serve Demonstration: Mrs. Pankhurst and Friends, from The Illustrated War News
STC312613 The Women's Right to Serve Demonstration: Mrs. Pankhurst and Friends, from The Illustrated War News, 1915 (b/w photo) by English Photographer

Suffragette pavement chalkers, c. 1910 (b/w photo)
2906469 Suffragette pavement chalkers, c.1910 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection

Evelina Haverfield and Mrs Pankhurst at Bow Street, c. 1909 (b/w photo)
2906435 Evelina Haverfield and Mrs Pankhurst at Bow Street, c.1909 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

WSPU Right to Serve march to demand work in munitions, 1915 (b/w photo)
2906468 WSPU Right to Serve march to demand work in munitions, 1915 (b/w photo) by English Photographer; Private Collection

Mrs Pankhurst leaves Bow Street with her daughter Christabel after being granted bail, 1912 (b/w photo)
2906441 Mrs Pankhurst leaves Bow Street with her daughter Christabel after being granted bail, 1912 (b/w photo) by English Photographer; Private Collection; (add.info.: Emmeline Pankhurst)

Leslie Lawless and Constance Lytton wait for sentencing outside Bow Street Magistrate's Court, 1911 (b/w photo)
2906439 Leslie Lawless and Constance Lytton wait for sentencing outside Bow Street Magistrate's Court, 1911 (b/w photo) by English Photographer; Private Collection; (add.info)

Lena Ashwell in the Actresses Franchise League section of the Women's Coronation Procession, 1911 (b/w photo)
2906437 Lena Ashwell in the Actresses Franchise League section of the Women's Coronation Procession, 1911 (b/w photo) by English Photographer; Private Collection; (add.info.: On 17th June)

Mary Leigh and Edith New arriving at Queen's Hall, 1908 (b/w photo)
2906434 Mary Leigh and Edith New arriving at Queen's Hall, 1908 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Mrs Pankhurst, c. 1908 (b/w photo)
2906432 Mrs Pankhurst, c.1908 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Emmeline Pankhurst)

Christabel Pankhurst (1880-1958) speaking in Trafalgar Square, October 1908 (b/w photo)
1765640 Christabel Pankhurst (1880-1958) speaking in Trafalgar Square, October 1908 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection

Suffragettes on a hay cart advertising their summer festival, 1913 (b/w photo)
2920861 Suffragettes on a hay cart advertising their summer festival, 1913 (b/w photo) by English Photographer; Private Collection

Suffragette pavement chalkers, c. 1910 (b/w photo)
2906470 Suffragette pavement chalkers, c.1910 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection

Constance Lytton, c. 1910 (b/w photo)
2906438 Constance Lytton, c.1910 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Lady Constance Georgina Bulwer-Lytton (1869-1923) was a member of the WSPU

Women's Sunday in Hyde Park, 1908 (b/w photo)
2906433 Women's Sunday in Hyde Park, 1908 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: WSPU held a Women's Sunday rally of 300)

Christabel, Emmeline and Sylvia Pankhurst with Mrs Pethick Lawrence (behind) at WSPU reception, 1909-12 (b/w photo)
2906443 Christabel, Emmeline and Sylvia Pankhurst with Mrs Pethick Lawrence (behind) at WSPU reception, 1909-12 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection

Comic postcard, Teddy bear suffragette and policeman. Come Along, Christabear! Date: 20th century

Comic postcard, Votes for Women satire - We only want what the men have got!! Date: 20th century

Ethel Smyth (1858 - 1944), English composer and a member of the womens suffrage movement. 1902

Miss Christabel Pankhurst questioning Mr Herbert Gladstone, 1909 (drawing)
STC321033 Miss Christabel Pankhurst questioning Mr Herbert Gladstone, 1909 (drawing) by Jones, George Kingston (fl.1890-1925); Private Collection; (add.info)

Front cover of The Daily Mirror, 5th June 1913 (litho) (b / w photo)
XJF270016 Front cover of The Daily Mirror, 5th June 1913 (litho) (b/w photo) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: death of Emily Davison; ); English, out of copyright

Underground passage to the House of Commons 1908
The underground passage from Westminster Station to the House of Commons, a section of which was privatised for MPs, usually used in bad weather but increasingly as a way of avoiding suffragettes

Suffragists putting up posters in London 1908
Two women putting up a posters in London. The Womens Freedom League encouraged its members to plaster buildings with posters demanding votes for women as a form of passive protest

Christabel Pankhurst defending herself in court 1908
Christabel Pankhurst shown defending the " rush" on the House of Commons and her role in it at Bow Street Magistrates Court, London

Suffragettes in wax: a cabinet meeting of the militant ladies who seek the vote. The figures of Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst, Emmeline Pethwick Lawrence and Annie Kenny

Cheered by the War Secretary: munitioners in the procession
STC407157 Cheered by the War Secretary: munitioners in the procession, from The Illustrated War News, 26th July 1916 (b/w photo) by English Photographer

The General - Flora Drummond - suffrage campaigner
Flora Drummond Suffragette. Mrs. Florrie (Flora) Drummond of the W.S.P.U, also known as General Drummond, pictured in The Sketch magazine in 1912. Date: 1912

Suffragettes at a campaign stand, c. 1910 (b / w photo)
XJF275673 Suffragettes at a campaign stand, c.1910 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

Votes for Women, August 1908 (b / w photo)
XJF270019 Votes for Women, August 1908 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

English suffragettes dressed as firemen, from Le Petit Journal
CHT76040 English suffragettes dressed as firemen, from Le Petit Journal, 3rd April 1910 (coloured engraving) by French School

Scottish suffragetes arrive in London to deliver petition, 1912 (b / w photo)
2920855 Scottish suffragetes arrive in London to deliver petition, 1912 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

A Suffragette selling newspapers to two soldiers, c. 1914 (b / w photo)
XJF275674 A Suffragette selling newspapers to two soldiers, c.1914 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Speakers badge for the Suffragette meeting in Hyde Park
XJF275672 Speakers badge for the Suffragette meeting in Hyde Park, July 23rd 1910 (embroidered silk and metal) (b/w photo) by English School

Policemen expelling Suffragettes from a room in the Palace of Westminster
XND69914 Policemen expelling Suffragettes from a room in the Palace of Westminster (Le amazzoni del voto espulse dai policemen dalle sale del Palazzo di Westminster), 1906 (litho) by Beltrame

Womens progress in the 19th Century (b / w photo)
6015123 Womens progress in the 19th Century (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Womens progress in the 19th Century)

Holloway and Suffragette
Holloway prison... We place them on plank beds and very low diet, To stop all their din, We just run them in, Into this house that man built. Date: circa 1910

Suffragettes armed with materials to chain themselves to railings, 1909. The Suffragettes found that by chaining themselves to railings they could gain much needed time to deliver their speeches

Stand of the Wimbledon branch of the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU), London, 1911. The stand of the Wimbledon branch of the WSPU at the Christmas Bazaar located in the Portman Rooms, 1911

Two suffragettes celebrating their release from Holloway Prison, London, on 22 August 1908. Mary Leigh (left) (1885-c1978) and Edith New (1877)

Young suffragettes promote the fortnight-long Womens Exhibition, London, 13 May 1909. The exhibition, organised by the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU) was to be held at Princes Skating Rink

Spectators gather on Portland Place to watch the Womens Sunday procession, London, 21 June 1908. On Sunday 21 June 1908 thousands of people gathered in London to watch six processions organised by

Barbara Ayrton, British suffragette, campaigning on the Votes for Women bus, October 1909. She is wearing the suffragette uniform, and a sash which would have been white purple and green

Miss Kelly, a suffragette, selling Votes for Women, July 1911. She is standing in the road so she cannot be arrested for obstruction

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"WSPU: The Fierce Fight for Women's Suffrage" In the early 20th century, a powerful movement emerged in Britain that would forever change the course of history. Led by courageous women like Sylvia Pankhurst and Mary Jane Clarke, the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) fought relentlessly for gender equality and the right to vote. With their iconic suffragette cat in hat and flag as symbols of defiance, these brave women organized numerous rallies, including the historic Suffragette Rally on Women's Sunday in 1908. Their determination was further displayed through badges such as the W. S. P. U Holloway Brooch and Hunger Strike Medal, earned by those who endured imprisonment and hunger strikes for their cause. The suffragettes' unwavering spirit was showcased during demonstrations at Hyde Park in 1908 when they fearlessly voiced their demands for equal rights. As they gathered at Bow Street with their vibrant sashes proudly displaying "Votes for Women, " it became clear that nothing could deter them from achieving justice. One particularly striking image captures a suffragette holding a ribbon badge adorned with the initials W. S. P. U. , symbolizing unity among these fierce warriors. Another emblematic banner proclaimed "Suffragette: The House That Man Built, " challenging societal norms while demanding recognition of women's contributions. The legacy lives on today as we honor these remarkable individuals who paved the way towards gender equality. Their relentless struggle reminds us that progress is not achieved without sacrifice or resistance against injustice. Let us never forget how far we have come thanks to these extraordinary women who dared to dream beyond societal limitations – because every step towards equality begins with courage.