Refreshment department, Women's Exhibition

Suffragette volunteers in charge of the refreshments at the Women's Exhibition, May 1909. This two week fund-raising and recruitment event organised by the Women's Social and Political Union took place at the Prince's Skating Rink in Knightsbridge. The refreshment department opened two days before the exhibition to cater for those setting up stalls. This photograph shows some of the Young WSPU Members who volunteered as tea girls dressed in green dress and white muslin aprons with a purple ribbon. Posing for the camera in the centre the women pour tea from the tea service specially made for the event bearing Sylvia Pankhurst's trumpeting angel logo. Either side can be seen the tea tables laid with table cloths of Irish linen decorated with the bands of the colours. On the back wall can be seen an advertising poster for Perrier who donated mineral water for the stall.
The refreshment stall was the most successful of the 50 exhibition stalls taking a total of £600 over the two weeks. This success was in part due to the donations of refreshments from companies including Liptons, Perrier and Idris, the loan of a soda machine from the British Automatic Aerated Company for the making of ice-cream soda and the the suggestion in Votes for women that ‘a good idea is to make up parties for tea....‘One must have tea somewhere – why not at Prince’s. Invite your friends to meet you there for tea’. Half way through the exhibition the newspaper also appealled to members for additional donations of chickens, hams, tongues, cake, sweets, strawberries & cream, tinned fruit, bread, butter, tea, coffee, sugar & milk. At the close of the exhibition additional funds were raised by the selling of the tea services, either as individual pieces or whole sets.
Seated on the floor (second on the left) is the enamelist, jewellery designer and artist Ernestine Mills. Several of the women in the image appear to be wearing jewellery made by Ernestine, presumably items she donated for sale at the exhibition.