Leader of the "Suffragettes"
Summary:
The photograph is a wonderful, and rare, head and shoulders photograph of Mrs. Pankhurst. Though the photograph is undated it was probably taken in 1909, during Mrs. Pankhurst's first tour of the United States to arouse interest in and to raise money for the case of Women's Suffrage. The picture was taken by Harris and Ewing, a prominent studio in Washington, D.C., well known for its portraits of government officials.
Emmeline Pankhurst, Leader of the Suffragette Movement. Black and white photograph signed and inscribed, "Yours Truly E. Pankhurst," in black ink on mat below photo by Harris & Ewing studio, Washington, D.C., undated. Condition: 7.25" x 5" picture laid-down on mat, 10.75" x 7.25", Choice Very Fine
Historical Background: Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928) worked her entire life for the cause of women's suffrage. In 1889 Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women's Franchise League, which fought to allow married women to vote in local election. Emmeline, together with her daughter Christabel, helped found the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in October 1903- an organization that gained much notoriety with their militant actions. From 1906 onwards, Pankhurst would lead the WSPU against the Liberal Party, whom she felt were the main obstacles standing in the way of women's suffrage. The Voting Rights for Men and Women Act passed only weeks before her death in 1928.
