Alva Belmont’s Votes for Women China

The most widely distributed of all “Votes for Women” china or dinnerware was that commissioned by Newport socialite Alva Belmont from the John Maddock Company of England.  Known pieces from this set include a creamer, a celery plate, a cup and saucer, a salad plate, a luncheon plate, and a soup bowl. The creamer was sold for 25 cents at Mrs.Belmont’s Political Equality Association Headquarters in New York City, which housed a small suffrage luncheonette, where the china was used to serve meals. The china probably also appeared at a Council of Great Women Conference in 1914 at the opening of the Chinese Teahouse at Mrs. Belmont’s Marble House Estate in Rhode Island, an event which included a celebration for the return of her daughter, Consuelo, the Duchess of Marlborough, from England.