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Press release for immediate use: October 2018
UNSEEN SUFFRAGETTE PHOTOGRAPHS RETURN TO LONDON’S EAST END AFTER 100 YEARS…
Children receiving free milk, 1915. © Estate of Norah Smyth. Collection International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam
East End Suffragettes: the photographs of Norah Smyth
A unique exhibition of photographs by suffragette Norah Smyth opens at Four Corners Gallery this
autumn. These remarkable photographs, taken 100 years ago, will be shown for the first time in
East London. The exhibition is part of a £100,000 Heritage Lottery Fund supported project, which
celebrates the little-known history of the radical East London Federation of the Suffragettes.
Norah Smyth (1874-1963) was a central figure in Sylvia Pankhurst’s East London Federation of
Suffragettes (ELFS), living and working with her in Bow. A talented artist and organiser, Smyth used
her photographic skills to provide images for the ELFS newspaper, The Woman’s Dreadnought,
alongside promotional postcards and catalogues, focusing in particular on local women and children
living in poverty. One hundred years on, these compelling photographs offer an intimate record of
Sylvia Pankhurst and the ELFS’ activities in 1914-18, an extraordinary moment in women’s social
history.
Sylvia Pankhurst’s ELFS was a breakaway from the better-known Women’s Social and Political Union
(WSPU), led by her mother and sister Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst. The WSPU ceased
campaigning for the vote at the outset of the First World War and threw itself behind the war effort.
By contrast, the ELFS maintained an anti-war stance, and continued to fight for the vote and working
women’s rights throughout the conflict. Faced by increasing wartime poverty in East London, they
set up cost price restaurants, babies’ milk clinics, nurseries and a cooperative toy factory, run largely
by and for local women. Alongside the vote, they campaigned for equal pay, a living wage and better
housing; helping support profound social change from their headquarters at The Women’s Hall on
400 Old Ford Road in Bow, where Norah Smyth and Sylvia Pankhurst also lived.
East End Suffragettes: the photographs of Norah Smyth includes 100 original photographs, letters
and documents, generously loaned by the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam
from the Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst papers. A free programme of talks and walks accompanies the
exhibition.
Helen Pankhurst, grand-daughter of Sylvia Pankhurst says:
“These unique photographs celebrate the spirit of East End women, unknown activists who worked
alongside Sylvia for social change. Their actions truly represented the suffragette slogan ‘Deeds not
words’.”
Stuart Hobley, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London, says:
“We’re delighted to support this timely project, which will reveal a significant but untold dimension
of suffragette history. Thanks to National Lottery players, the legacy of these extraordinary and
community-spirited women will be celebrated through a programme of activities, so we can all learn
this both locally and important heritage for the first time.”
Carla Mitchell, Development Director at Four Corners, says:
“It is very exciting to exhibit Norah Smyth’s original photographs as they return to the East End for
the first time. The East London Federation of the Suffragettes were a remarkable group of women
whose story is little-known. As the centenary of women’s right to vote is celebrated nationally we
aim to help East End communities discover the amazing suffrage stories on their doorstep.”
Notes to editorsFor national press and PR enquiries, please contact : Zena Howard, [email protected] local press, listings and social media, please contact: Katy Palmer, [email protected]
East End Suffragettes: the photography of Norah SmythExhibition at Four Corners Gallery2 November - 9 February 2019, Tues-Sat: 10.00-6.00. Admission free 121 Roman Road, London E2 0QN Nearest tube: Bethnal Green, Central Line www.fourcornersfilm.co.uk
A programme of talks and local walks accompanies the exhibition. Further information: http://www.fourcornersfilm.co.uk/East-End-Suffragettes
About women’s suffrageIn February 1918 the Representation of the People Act enfranchised women over 30, subject to a small property qualification, extending the right to vote to 8.4 million women in the UK - around 40 per cent of the total population. The Act also extended the right to vote to men aged 21 and over, whether or not they owned property. The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 passed in November 1918, allowing women to be elected to Parliament. Women first voted on 14 December 1918. In July 1928 the Equal Franchise Act finally gave equal voting rights to women at the age of 21.
East London Federation of SuffragettesSylvia Pankhurst broke with the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), the main suffragette party led by her mother and sister (Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst) in 1913, to concentrate her efforts on alleviating the extreme poverty of women and children in London’s East End. Her new organisation, the East London Federation of Suffragettes, campaigned for radical social changes for women as well as the vote. At the outbreak of the First World War the WSPU ceased their campaigning in favour of the war effort. By contrast, the ELFS maintained a radical pacifist stance, and continued to promote the cause throughout the war.
The Women’s Hall projectThe exhibition forms part of The Women's Hall, a £100,000 Heritage Lottery Fund project that celebrates the history of the East London Federation of Suffragettes 100 years after some women in the UK first gained the vote. https://eastendwomensmuseum.org/the-womens-hall/ Activities include:
The Women’s Hall exhibition (Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, 29 May-20 October 2018) evokes the interior of the original Hall. Visitors can learn about the ELFS and the First World War in the East End and attend events and workshops. A pop-up community kitchen serves hot meals for the public at set times.
A ‘Suffrage in the East End’ Education Pack, and digitized archive materials made available at Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives.
The Modern Suffragette photography project for mothers runs at Four Corners in autumn 2018. Further information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/modern-suffragette-photo-project-open-day-tickets-50178673764
About the project partnersFour Corners is a creative centre for film and photography, committed to promoting community-wide participation for over 40 years. Its programme seeks to support projects that engage with social and cultural themes, and open up perspectives for audiences, particularly in East London. http://www.fourcornersfilm.co.uk
Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives covers the area of the present-day London borough of Tower Hamlets - the original East End of London which, until 1965, comprised of the boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney. http://www.ideastore.co.uk/local-history
East End Women’s Museum is a public history project aiming to record, share, and celebrate women’s stories and voices from east London’s history. The project was established in 2015 in response to the 'Jack the Ripper Museum', as a positive, sustainable protest. www.eastendwomensmuseum.org
Women’s History Month in East London – runs in March each year. Women’s History Month 2018 celebrated women artists, activists, writers and performers, the Suffragette movement and winning the right to vote for some women in 1918 and all women in 1928 with exhibitions and events across East London. www.alternativearts.co.uk
About the Heritage Lottery FundThanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #HLFsupported.
International Institute of Social HistoryWork and labour relations deeply influence how we live. IISH examines how these relations develop globally over time. The IISH is a unique institute, serving science and society on a global scale. At an international level, we generate and offer reliable information and insights about the (long-term) origins, effects and consequences of social inequality.
To promote this, we form an international hub for social historians worldwide. We offer and produce historical sources and data, facilitate social-history research and collaborate internationally in ground breaking research projects. Moreover, by preserving the heritage of often-oppressed social movements, the Institute serves the quality of the world's memory. The IISH is one of the world's leading research institutes on social history. Since 1979 the IISH has been an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). www.iisg.amsterdam