Suffragette Brooch/Pendant
Datec.1910
Object NameBrooch/Pendant
Mediumgold, amethyst, diamond and enamel
ClassificationsJewellery
Dimensions4 × 3.2 × 1.8cm
AcquisitionPurchased in 2013.
LocationOn Display - Gallery 14
Object numberABDAG011435
About MeJewellery is not just a finishing touch to an outfit but a powerful means of expression, enabling the wearer to make strong statements on their religious or political view without saying a word. The women campaigning for suffrage in Britain pre-WWI were masters in their use of jewellery as a tool for potent political expression.
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst and took a more militant view on the campaign for women's suffrage than other groups from the period. By 1906, the WSPU had become well-known for their extreme line - often resulting to arson, vandalism and hunger strikes to promote their cause - all covered extensively by the national press. In 1908 the government passed The Public
Meeting Act, 'to prevent disturbance of Public Meetings' that effectively made the disruptive 'Deeds not Words' of the WSPU illegal.
Support for the WSPU had swelled over the years, something that did not cease even after the threat of arrest and imprisonment. In the same year as The Public Meeting Act was
passed, the group devised an innovative way for supporters to show their allegiance by developing 'corporate' colours - purple (for dignity), white (for purity) and green (for hope). It did not take long for the colours to take hold and in June of 1908 30,000 women displayed their colours in a demonstration in London's Hyde Park - thought to have been watched by up to half a million spectators - a dramatic scene in purple, white and green. This demonstration marked the beginning of a remarkable and persistent campaign for women's suffrage that continued until the outbreak of war in 1914, at which point the members of the WSPU vowed to concentrate on the war effort. In 1918 women over 30 were granted the vote, with the voting age dropping to 21 years old in 1928.
More About Me
Wearing such jewellery is seen a powerful propaganda tool, enabling the wearer to make strong statements on their religious or political view without saying a word.
Exhibitions
Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)
23 December 1913
The National Women's Social and Political Union (NWSPU)
21 September 1907
Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)
5 October 1907
Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage (ENWSS)
5 October 1907
