1-192-454 - © London Museum/Heritage-Images

Ada Flatman, 1909. Second from the right, on a demonstration, possibly in Liverpool. Included in the photograph are suffragette ex-prisoners, some of whom were local women, dressed in replica prison clothing and wearing their prison number badges. Ada Flatman herself was an ex-prisoner, having served one month in Holloway Gaol for her presence on a deputation to the House of Commons in the autumn of 1908. The backdrop to this scene consists of posters printed in purple, white and green, which refer to the Edwardians' concern at the apparent deterioration of the British race. (The women's suffrage movement and the majority of feminists pointed out the special contribution made by mothers to society, and indeed the future of the race. This was one of the many strands in the argument for the right to vote.)