Purple White and Green: The Material Construction of Women's Suffrage 1832-1928
Lead Research Organisation:
University of York
Department Name: Archaeology
Abstract
'Wear the colours as a duty and a privilege. Never be seen without your badge' (Women's Social & Political Union, 1908-12). This PhD will investigate the material history of the suffrage movement and bring a new dimension to research on women's political history by addressing: 1) How objects helped to support suffrage campaigns and construct collective identities; 2)The types of material culture appropriated by suffrage campaigners, and how this reflected their social status/roles.
Context - Women's enfranchisement is widely researched and much has been said on the suffrage movement of the late 19th/early 20th century: particularly the political activities of the Pankhursts and their supporters. However, little has been done to explore the extensive material culture of suffrage. This PhD will respond to this need by examining 1) the importance of suffrage objects as expressions of radicalism in memoirs, personal testimonies, police reports, newspapers and other ephemera; 2) how campaigners used consumer culture to promote The Cause; 3) how campaigners created identities and marketed their political agenda in accessible forms such as personal adornment and the domestic sphere. While the use of fashion in women's suffrage is well studied (Crawford, 2013; Hels 2009) this PhD will make an original contribution through an integrated textual and object-based examination of the wider range of material culture used by 'Votes For Women' and other campaigns (e.g. crockery, jewellery, postcards, placards, buttons, banners, and even suffragette board games). The careful construction of identities, and radical dissemination of merchandise were innovative, drawing on contemporary consumerism to create a recognisable brand that brought cohesion to the movement and spread awareness of the campaign message. Research into the radical use of objects will highlight how material culture enabled the disenfranchised to become politically involved, with particular reference to gender and class.
Methods - The primary data for this study will be collected from the main UK suffrage collections: Museum of London (974 objects), Manchester People's History Museum (30 objects), Parliament Archives (20 objects; 86 police reports; 20 petitions; 400+ related correspondence), LSE Women's Library (146 suffrage collections of individuals), Glasgow Women's Library (20+ objects), Leeds Museums & Galleries (200+ objects). I have permission from these archives to access the materials required for this study. Using these sources, one of the key outcomes of this PhD will be the first integrated catalogue of suffrage collections across the UK, this will form the basis for my subsequent analysis:
1.Examine how/where key artefacts were made and how/where they were deployed by activists. Objects will be categorised into groups and subgroups e.g; Ephemera: pamphlets, postcards; Signage: placards, banners,' etc
2.Look for representations of objects in text, audio recordings and photographs and integrate them with study of the objects themselves. E.g. Leeds Museum has artefacts belonging to suffragette Leonora Cohen, while LSE women's library have 8+ hrs audio of her discussing her involvement in the campaigns. So far these sources have been utilised for biographical study only, bringing them together here will give new insights on the material culture involved
3.Key artefacts will be selected from the collections to form the subject of artefact biographies which will incorporate more detail on production, use and ownership, as well as curation to demonstrate their enduring significance
Impact - From an archaeological perspective, this PhD will contribute original information on how radical use of material culture helped women to achieve voting rights. Dissemination of this research will enrich museum narratives, increase the significance of suffrage artefacts before the full centenary in 1928, and offer opportunities for renewed intere
Context - Women's enfranchisement is widely researched and much has been said on the suffrage movement of the late 19th/early 20th century: particularly the political activities of the Pankhursts and their supporters. However, little has been done to explore the extensive material culture of suffrage. This PhD will respond to this need by examining 1) the importance of suffrage objects as expressions of radicalism in memoirs, personal testimonies, police reports, newspapers and other ephemera; 2) how campaigners used consumer culture to promote The Cause; 3) how campaigners created identities and marketed their political agenda in accessible forms such as personal adornment and the domestic sphere. While the use of fashion in women's suffrage is well studied (Crawford, 2013; Hels 2009) this PhD will make an original contribution through an integrated textual and object-based examination of the wider range of material culture used by 'Votes For Women' and other campaigns (e.g. crockery, jewellery, postcards, placards, buttons, banners, and even suffragette board games). The careful construction of identities, and radical dissemination of merchandise were innovative, drawing on contemporary consumerism to create a recognisable brand that brought cohesion to the movement and spread awareness of the campaign message. Research into the radical use of objects will highlight how material culture enabled the disenfranchised to become politically involved, with particular reference to gender and class.
Methods - The primary data for this study will be collected from the main UK suffrage collections: Museum of London (974 objects), Manchester People's History Museum (30 objects), Parliament Archives (20 objects; 86 police reports; 20 petitions; 400+ related correspondence), LSE Women's Library (146 suffrage collections of individuals), Glasgow Women's Library (20+ objects), Leeds Museums & Galleries (200+ objects). I have permission from these archives to access the materials required for this study. Using these sources, one of the key outcomes of this PhD will be the first integrated catalogue of suffrage collections across the UK, this will form the basis for my subsequent analysis:
1.Examine how/where key artefacts were made and how/where they were deployed by activists. Objects will be categorised into groups and subgroups e.g; Ephemera: pamphlets, postcards; Signage: placards, banners,' etc
2.Look for representations of objects in text, audio recordings and photographs and integrate them with study of the objects themselves. E.g. Leeds Museum has artefacts belonging to suffragette Leonora Cohen, while LSE women's library have 8+ hrs audio of her discussing her involvement in the campaigns. So far these sources have been utilised for biographical study only, bringing them together here will give new insights on the material culture involved
3.Key artefacts will be selected from the collections to form the subject of artefact biographies which will incorporate more detail on production, use and ownership, as well as curation to demonstrate their enduring significance
Impact - From an archaeological perspective, this PhD will contribute original information on how radical use of material culture helped women to achieve voting rights. Dissemination of this research will enrich museum narratives, increase the significance of suffrage artefacts before the full centenary in 1928, and offer opportunities for renewed intere
