''Votes for Women'' was a

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

associated with the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

movement in the United Kingdom. Until 1912, it was the official newspaper of the

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...

, the leading suffragette organisation. Subsequently, it continued with a smaller circulation, at first independently, and then as the publication of the

United Suffragists The United Suffragists was a women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. History The group was founded on 6 February 1914, by former members and supporters of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). In contrast to the WSPU, it admit ...

History

The newspaper was founded in October 1907 by

Emmeline ''Emmeline, The Orphan of the Castle'' is the first novel written by English writer Charlotte Smith; it was published in 1788. A Cinderella story in which the heroine stands outside the traditional economic structures of English society and ...

and

Frederick Pethick-Lawrence Frederick William Pethick-Lawrence, 1st Baron Pethick-Lawrence, PC (né Lawrence; 28 December 1871 – 10 September 1961) was a British Labour politician who, among other things, campaigned for women's suffrage. Background and education Bo ...

. The couple became joint editors of the newspaper, which was published by the St Clement's Press. It was adopted as the official newspaper of the

(WSPU), already the leading militant

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

organisation in the country. Many copies were sold by WSPU members standing on the street. The pavement sellers were often harassed by passersby, and were forced to stand in the gutter lest the police arrest them for "obstruction of the pavement". Initially, the newspaper cost 3 d and was published monthly, with weekly supplements bringing it up-to-date. In April 1908, its publication was increased to a weekly frequency, and the following month the price was dropped to only 1d. During this period, the WSPU viewed the paper as a tool for recruitment and fundraising, and devoted much time to increasing its circulation. Posters advertising the paper were designed in 1903 and a new design in 1909 by

Hilda Dallas Hilda Mary Dallas (1878–1958) was a British artist and a suffragette who designed suffrage posters and cards and took a leadership role for the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). A pacifist, she raised funds from a cross-section of so ...

, an artist in the

Suffrage Atelier Suffrage Atelier was an artists' collective campaigning for women's suffrage in England. It was founded in February 1909 by Laurence Housman, Clemence Housman and Alfred Pearse. Clemence was a writer, illustrator, and wood engraver, and her brot ...

. And for example, each summer, WSPU members were urged to recruit new subscribers while they were on seaside holidays, and use the posters to encourage sales. The paper was redesigned in 1909 and its page size was increased and a new poster design launched. The WSPU launched a major advertising campaign, including Helen Craggs and others on an omnibus touring London, and established permanent sales pitches in central London. This took circulation to a peak of 33,000 a week in early 1910. In 1912 the Pethick-Lawrences were arrested, and Evelyn Sharp briefly assumed the editorship of the paper. Subsequently, the Pethick-Lawrences were expelled from the WSPU, and thereafter they published the newspaper independently, its supporters being organised in the Votes for Women Fellowship. This group was intended to encompass members of a variety of women's suffrage organisations, whether militant or non-militant. The Fellowship formed groups across the country, which focused their time on education. This convinced some members that they should form a new campaigning group. In February 1914, ''Votes for Women'' announced the formation of the

, in which the Pethick-Lawrences became active, and in August they transferred control of the newspaper to the new group. Sharp then took over sole editorship of the newspaper.

Later years

The paper continued to appear during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, but with a much-reduced circulation, and it struggled to remain financially viable. Sharp reoriented the paper to appeal more to middle-class women, with the slogan "The War Paper for Women". Although she personally came to oppose the war, she ensured that the paper maintained a neutral stance on it. Women's suffrage was enacted by degrees beginning in 1918, and in March of that year the United Suffragists dissolved itself, the newspaper also ceasing to appear.

Gallery

File:'Votes for Women' sellers, 1908. (22680013228).jpg, Women selling the newspaper on

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...

in London, in 1908. File:British suffragette (cropped).jpg, Selling in the street File:Votes For Women.jpg, Poster for Votes for Women by

(1909) File:Annie Kenney statue, Oldham (geograph 6080575).jpg,

Annie Kenney Ann "Annie" Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working-class suffragette and socialist feminist who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union. She co-founded its first branch in London with Minnie ...

's statue in Oldham with "Votes for Women" File:Votes for Women poster, ca. 1903-1926. (17311553535).jpg, Votes for Women poster (1903 onwards) by

References

External links

Online archive
of 354 issues between 17 October 1907 to 28 January 1916 {{Suffrage Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom Feminist newspapers Publications established in 1907 Publications disestablished in 1918 Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom

History

Later years

Gallery

See also

References

External links