Prisoners' Pageant

This image depicts Suffragettes who had been imprisoned for militancy prepare to take part in a procession In support of the Conciliation Bill, 23rd July 1910. This event was organised by the Women's Social and Political Union to take place on the anniversary of the day in 1867 when men demonstrating for their inclusion in the Reform Bill pulled down the railings in Hyde Park. Two processions, one from the west and one from the east converged on Hyde Park where 150 speakers addressed at crowd of up to 20,000 from 40 platforms.
The women were part of the Prisoners' Pageant that always formed the most dramatic section of all Suffragette processions from 1910 and usually included leading members of the Women's Social and Political Union. As well as carrying their own imposing prisoner's banners individual prisoners also carried smaller emblems symbolic of imprisonment. For this procession on 23rd July the women carried, for the first time, smaller banners with the words 'Honour', 'truth' and 'justice' as well as pennants painted with the slogan 'Deeds not words' and the prisoners arrow. Other women, as depicted in the image, carried a black portcullis 'with rattling chains' styled on the silver Holloway brooch Sylvia Pankhurst designed in 1909 whilst the 'hunger-strikers' ihad the honour of carrying frameworks representing prison gates and walking in single file. Always positioned in a prominent position of the processions, the Prisoner's Pageant comprised over 600 Suffragettes, dressed in white.
The photographer Christina Broom was present at a number of Votes for Women rallies and processions between 1908 and 1910. She photographed events organised by both the militant WSPU and non-militant NUWSS. A number of the Broom images depict campaigners posing for the camera suggesting compliance and acceptance amongst the women of her photography of their highly choreographed public events. Broom printed her negatives as postcards, the sale of which likely financially benefited both herself and the suffrage organisations.

Christina Broom, trading as Mrs Albert Broom, was a pioneering professional photographer and is considered to be the UK's first woman press photographer. Broom's extensive photographic work spans the activities of the suffrage movement in London, street views, military figures and actions of the Household Division including the First World War period, sporting events and the Royal Family.