Young Suffragettes advertising The Women's Exhibition

Young Suffragettes advertisting The Women's Exhibition, 8th May 1909. Organised by the Women's Social and Political Union as a fundraising, recruitment and propaganda event, this two week exhibition was held at Princes' Skating Rink in London between 13th and 26th May 1909. Here a group of young Suffragettes prepare to taken part in a procession organised to promote the event a week before it opened. The girls dressed in the 'suffragette summer uniform' of a white dress with purple, white and green accessories including ribbons, sashes and scarves formed a human maypole holding banners announcing the exhibition.

The route of the procession, that began and ended at Kingsway, included Regent Street, Piccadilly, Knightsbridge, Victoria Street, Whitehall and Charing Cross. Led by the colour bearer Joan Dugdale it included officials of the WSPU, an all male brass band, the Exhibition banner and Suffragettes on horseback. The following week the Votes for Women newspaper reported the event attracted considerable interest from a supportive crowd of onlookers with General Drummond noting 'there was nothing but kindness and good humour all along the route'.