Marie Brackenbury dressed in replica prison clothing

The Suffragette Marie Brackenbury dressed in replica prison clothing seated in the prison cell exhibit at the Women's Exhibition, May 1909. The two week exhibition held at the at the Prince's Skating Rink in Knightsbridge was organised by the Women's Social and Political Union as a fund-raising, recruitment and propaganda event. The cell exhibit was intended to reveal the conditions in which Suffragette prisoners were held in Holloway. For an entrance fee of 6d visitors could enter the reconstructed cell and hear an explanation of a typical day in Holloway as an ex-Suffragette prisoner dressed in replica prison clothing carried out her daily duties including scouring pots and pans, making beds, scrubbing floors, sewing and making mailbags overlooked by a fellow Suffragette dressed as a prison warden.

Ex-Suffragette prisoners often dressed in replica prison clothing for rallies and demonstrations to bring attention to their grievance at being sentenced as common criminals rather than as political prisoners.
Marie, her sister Georgina and Mother Hilda were all prominent Suffrage campaigners. A talented artist who studied at the Slade school of art Marie served two terms of imprisonment for Suffragette militancy. In February 1908 she was arrested with her sister during a demonstration outside the House of Commons and in March 1912 was arrested with her 79 year old Mother for taking part in the window smashing campaign.
Georgina & Marie also had a brother Richard who emigrated to Wyoming, USA in the 1880s. He married and had 5 sons and retired to La Jolla, California.

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.