Votes for Women Sash in the Colours of the WSPU

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

21129

Title

Votes for Women sash in the colours of the Women's Social Political Union

Description

A striped silk suffragette's sash in the colours of the Women's Social Political Union which belonged to Bessie Watson. It has the words "Votes for Women" written on it.

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

2010

Size

212.0 x 33.0 cm

Type

Textile

Location

Museum of Edinburgh

Accession number

HH4806/89

The first Scottish women's suffrage procession was held in Edinburgh in 1907, but it was the Great Procession and Women's Demonstration in 1909 that attracted much attention. On that day women, including a number of ladies on horseback, marched along Princes Street, watched by a large crowd of spectators. They wore the suffragette colours of purple, white and green and carried many banners.
The sash in this picture was given by the Women's Social Political Union to nine year old Bessie Watson to wear on the parade while she played the bagpipes. She donated it to Edinburgh Museums and Galleries in 1986.

The WSPU had adopted purple, white, and green in 1908 as its official colours. These colours were chosen by Emmeline Pethick Lawrence because "Purple...stands for the royal blood that flows in the veins of every suffragette...white stands for purity in private and public life...green is the colour of hope and the emblem of spring".

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Related subjects

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Sash

Events > Demonstrations > Protest movements

Government > National > Suffrage

People > Adults > Women

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Votes for Women sash in the colours of the WSPU