Surveillance image of Mary Richardson

Surveillance photograph of the suffragette Mary Richardson. Probably taken by an undercover photographer whilst the suffragette was exercising in Holloway Prison yard. The photo has been pasted onto card on the reverse of which has been handwritten ' the woman who slashed the Rokeby Venus please enlarge up to 6" high' .
The Home Office commissioned the undercover photography of militant suffragettes from 1913. The photos were used to identify militant suffragettes attempting to enter public buildings such as museums or art galleries where they could cause damage.
On 10 March 1914 Richardson was arrested for slashing Velázquez's painting the Rokeby Venus in the National Gallery. She was sentenced to six months in Holloway but was released on 6 April, suffering from recurring appendicitis. She was arrested and imprisoned in Holloway on a further two occasions in 1914, both times she went on hunger strike and was force-fed.