Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett (1847-1929) and her husband Prof.Henry Fawcett, M.P.(1833-1884)
Ford Madox Brown (Calais 1821 - London 1893)
Category
Art / Drawings and watercolours
Date
1872
Materials
Crayon and chalk on paper
Measurements
1015 mm (H); 810 mm (W)
Order this imageCollection
Wightwick Manor, West Midlands
NT 1288088
Summary
Drawing - Colour crayon / chalk cartoon. Also known as 'The Post-Master General' (under Gladstone). Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett GBE (1847-1929) became one of the leading campaigners for votes for women, as president of the NUWSS. As a Suffragist (as opposed to a suffragette), she took a moderate line, condemning the militancy of the suffragettes. This is a preparatory sketch for the oil painting in the National Potrait Gallery. She visited Wolverhampton on a number of ocassions to speak to the Wolverhampton Women's Suffrage Society, of which Geoffrey and Florence Mander were members. In July 1913 a Women’s Suffrage Pilgrimage was organised by the NUWSS, to explain to the population why women wanted the vote and to prove to the Liberal Prime Minister, Asquith, just how serious they were. Fifteen NUWSS volunteers organised eight routes, all over the country, which ended at the rally in London, and drew 50,000 people to Hyde Park. The pilgrimage, led by Millicent Fawcett, stopped at Wolverhampton, where the travellers were met by members of the local society and walked to St Peters Institute for refreshment. Then a great meeting was held in the market place where 4 platforms were required for speakers. It was described as the largest meeting held there in memory, and was supported by Florence and Geoffrey Mander. At age 24 Henry was blinded by a ricochet bullet when shooting with his father). Henry Fawcett was a liberal politician, political economist and academic, and keen supporter of women's suffrage with his wife. Black grooved frame with broad slip gilt (NPG)
Provenance
Helen Rossetti Angeli, by whom loaned to Wightwick from 1949; by descent to her daughter Imogen Dennis, picture returned to her in 1987; by descent to her son Edward; picture acquired by Wightwick in April 1997 when purchased from Edward Dennis with a donation from the Mander Trust Fund.
Marks and inscriptions
Signed and dated top right and left
Makers and roles
Ford Madox Brown (Calais 1821 - London 1893), artist