Women's suffrage in art Tickets and Dates

Women's suffrage in art

To mark Women's History Month, this online talk celebrates the newly acquired portrait of Millicent Garrett Fawcett by Anna Louisa Swynnerton, which now has a permanent public home at UK Parliament. Previously, its whereabouts had been unknown for almost 50 years. In celebrating this important artefact, we'll explore the relationship between suffragism and the creative arts. 

You will hear about the life and work of both the subject of the painting and the artist. Political leader Millicent Garrett Fawcett campaigned for women's suffrage throughout her life and was the first woman honoured by a statue in Parliament Square in London. Annie Swynnerton was best known for her portrait and symbolist works. In 1922 she was the first woman to be elected to the Royal Academy since its foundation in 1768. Her work has featured in two high-profile exhibitions over the past three years. 

The talk will begin with an introduction from a Member of Parliament and a discussion about the newly acquired portrait between expert guests Dr Emma Merkling, Art historian at the Centre for Nineteenth-Century Studies International (Durham University) and Prof. Melissa Terras, Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage (University of Edinburgh). Our experts will share their special interest in the suffrage movement and its artistic representations.

The event will be hosted on Microsoft Teams Live Events which you can access through web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge. Safari is not currently supported. You do not need a Microsoft account to join the event. The event lasts for 60 minutes in total, and you can ask questions via the chat function. These will be put to the speakers at the end. We will send full details of how to join the event online following registration. 

Dame Millicent Fawcett, painting by Annie Louisa Swynnerton ©UK Parliament WOA 7739

If you’d like to hear about our other upcoming talks or opportunities to visit UK Parliament, you can sign up to our newsletter