Mary Phillips, selling the Votes for Women newspaper

The Suffragette Mary Phillips selling the Votes for Women weekly newspaper, October 1907. If the dating on the front of the image is correct Mary is depicted selling the first edition of Votes for Women, first published on 16th October 1907. Originally a monthly publication the newspaper was published weekly from April 1908 in a larger format. Until 1912 'Votes for Women' was the 'official paper' of the Women's Social and Political Union.
Suffragette street sellers were required to stand in the roadside gutter to avoid being arrested for obstruction. Lone street sellers were often vulnerable to heckling and abuse from male passers-by. The newspaper was vital for both promoting the Suffragette message and for generating funds for the campaign. As well as being sold by Suffragette street sellers and WSPU branch shops the newspaper was also stocked by newsagents and libraries. In July 1909 the newspaper announced that it had reached a circulation of 50,000.