Suffragette Prisoner, Holloway

Surveillance image of a suffragette prisoner exercising in the yard at Holloway prison. This shot was taken by an undercover police photographer. On the front the Suffragette is identified as ‘Smith’. This is likely to be either Kate or Dorothy Smith. A Miss Smith was arrested alongside Matilda Cubley, Nora Strange and Edith Rushbrooke in March 1914 on a charge of obstruction outside Scotland Yard and the offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions. For this offence the Suffragettes were sentenced to 14 days imprisonment. In two March editions of The Votes for Women newspaper reports refer to Miss Smith as having the christian names 'Kate' and 'Dorothy' but, presumably this was the same woman.
Scotland Yard undertook covert photography of militant suffragettes from 1913. The images were used to identify suffragettes attempting to enter public buildings such as museums and art galleries, where they might attempt to damage the objects.