I've just finished reading a fascinating book that profiles the contrasting lives of two Victorian women in their parallel quests for change. One is the eponymous Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst - one of the leaders of the suffragette movement. The other is Mrs Etta Lemon, co-founder of the RSPB.
Both ladies were campaigning for change, and both fights were long and fraught with turmoil. Ultimately, both were successful, but there's so much more to their stories than this. Many of you will have heard a lot about Emmeline Pankhurst's story, especially as last year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote. However, Tesse Boase has uncovered many nuances that really get under the skin of her character and motivations.
Etta Lemon, by contrast, has gone somewhat under the hammer, despite her long and distinguished history with the RSPB, which continued until her death in 1953. Tessa Boase follows her story from the establishment of the Fur, Fin and Feather Folk, through it's merger with the Society for the Protection of Birds, and their battle to halt to the heartless and unsustainable trade in feathers, primarily for us in millinery (hat-making). The SPB had been founded in Manchester in 1889, so this year we celebrate the 130th anniversary of the RSPB.
On the way we meet many other characters from late Victorian and Edwardian Britain, from those involved in the feather business to the politicians who steadfastly refused to vote through laws banning the trade, as well as resisting the attempts of suffragists to gain the vote.
The book follows the contrasting stories of these two strong-minded women. While one fights against the use of feathers in hats, the other wears them as a mark of femininity and symbol of her struggles. As one leads the fight for women's suffrage, the other is a forceful anti suffrage voice, and the author cleverly weaves their complicated lives together to reflect the huge changes in society between the 1880s and 1930s.
Mrs Pankhurst's Purple Feather is a highly enjoyable read, and a great insight into the history of both the RSPB and suffrage movement. You can buy your copy from the Minsmere shop for £20.
Thanks, Ian. I heard Tessa Boase talking about her book in an author lecture at Birdfair in August and I read the book shortly afterwards. I agree, she tells the two stories excellently and gives great insight into the characters of the two main subjects as well as touching on numerous other people who supported or opposed their two causes. I loved it that Etta Lemon used to take a notebook wherever she went, church, etc., record which ladies were wearing hats with feathers or bird parts, then go home and write individual letters to every woman, telling them that they should not support the slaughter of millions of birds for the sake of being fashionable!
Kind regards, Ann