Suffragette Procession June 17. 1911

This is one in a series of postcards depicting scenes from the spectacular Women's Coronation procession, held in London on 17th June 19111. The highly choreographed event involved 28 suffrage societies, including the Women's Social and Political Union. Held a week before the coronation of George V, it aimed to enlist the support of the new King for the Conciliation Bill in favour of female suffrage being debated in parliament.
The 'From Prison to Citizenship' banner depicted in this image was designed by Laurence Housman for the Kensington branch of the Women's Social and Political Union. It was first carried at Women's Sunday in June 1908 and depicts a female figure in white on a purple background bordered with trailing green leaves. At the Coronation Procession it was one of the banners within the prisoners' pageant that marched immediately behind the suffragette leaders and in front of the 'Famous Women' pageant, in which suffragettes dressed as notable women from the past.