A Mad, Wicked Folly

by Sharon Biggs Waller

  Christabel Harriette Pankhurst (1880–1958) was cofounder of the WSPU. She was very beautiful, feminine, and charismatic. She received a law degree from Manchester University but was unable to practice law because she was a woman. The Bar Council in England drew up its own regulations, which excluded women from practicing until 1919, when the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act made it illegal to disqualify a person from a post, public function, civil or judicial office, vocation, or incorporated society on basis of sex or marriage. Christabel was a talented orator, and hundreds of women admired her and would do anything for her. She was, like her mother, very autocratic, and dismissive of anyone who took a view other than her own. She and her mother highly approved of militant action, but Christabel preferred to direct operations, and was jailed only three times, the last in 1909.

  Christabel fled to Paris to escape prison in 1912, and directed WSPU actions from there. She returned to England in 1913 at the start of World War I. She was arrested, but served only thirty days of her three-year sentence. She moved to the United States in 1921 and died in Los Angeles at the age of seventy-seven.

  Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (1882–1960) was a talented artist, pacifist, and active member of the WSPU. Her civil disobedience caused her to endure multiple imprisonments that included sleep, thirst, and hunger strikes—the last of which resulted in many force-feedings. Her beautiful artwork was featured heavily in WSPU publicity. The panels she created for the Women’s Exhibition in 1909 were later destroyed by police when they raided WSPU headquarters. In 1914 Sylvia began to disagree with the WSPU’s tactics (such as arson and destroying priceless works of art) and political decisions. Wanting to help improve the lives of working-class and impoverished woman, Sylvia turned her attentions to the East End Federation of the WSPU and founded the East London Federation of Suffragettes (ELFS). Christabel and Emmeline, angered by Sylvia’s association with this group, gave her an ultimatum. If she did not leave the ELFS, then they had no use for her, which seems horrible considering the sacrifices she had made for the WSPU. A staunch feminist, Sylvia refused to marry, and lived with her partner, Italian revolutionary Silvo Corio, for thirty years (they had a son, Richard, in 1927). Emmeline, scandalized about Sylvia’s home life, never spoke to her again. From 1936 until her death, Sylvia fought against fascism in Italian-occupied Ethiopia. She died in 1960 and is buried in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

  Henry Francis “Harry” Pankhurst (1889–1910) was the only son of Emmeline and Richard to reach adulthood. Harry was a fragile boy and often very sickly. His mother forced him into masculine jobs, such as bricklayer and farmhand, in order to toughen him up. Harry tried to join in with the WSPU. He chalked pavements and spoke at street corners. Harry contracted polio and died in January of 1910.

  HUNGER STRIKES AND FORCE-FEEDING

  The ghastly practice of force-feeding continued until 1913, and was a widespread method of trying to prevent women from protesting through hunger strikes. Because the newspapers and public became outraged at this treatment of women, hunger strikes became an effective way of protesting for the suffragettes. Sylvia Pankhurst was arrested fifteen times in the years between 1913 and 1921 and went on hunger, sleep, and thirst strikes, resulting in her being force-fed more than any other British suffragette.

  The poster that Vicky fly-posted is based on a real one that was drawn by Alfred Pearse (1865–1933) for the WSPU’s propaganda drive in 1910. Pearse called himself “A Patriot,” and his poster was indeed fly-posted and sold as a postcard in order to show the public what the current government was capable of. The illustration was labeled The Modern Inquisition.

  The Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill-health) Act of 1913 allowed prison officials to release hunger-striking prisoners until they were well enough to be rearrested to complete their sentences. This was enacted in order to sidestep force-feeding. The act was nicknamed the Cat and Mouse Act (so called to reflect a cat’s habit of releasing its prey to recover slightly before attacking it again). It was ineffective because the women would simply disappear, hidden by suffrage sympathizers, and the police were not able to rearrest many of them.

  In the United States, a group of suffragists, including Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, were force-fed in 1917 at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia.

  THE ARTISTS

  The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed in 1848 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, and John Everett Millais. They created their own art movement by rejecting the art of the day and putting forward their own ideals of embracing the vivid colors, subjects, and style of fifteenth-century Italian and Flemish artists. In addition, the Brotherhood studied nature and made sure their ideas stemmed from passionate and genuine thought. Beata Beatrix (1864–1870), one of Rossetti’s most famous works, is an homage to his late wife and fellow artist, Lizzie Siddal, who died from a laudanum overdose.

  John William Waterhouse (1849–1917) is one of the most esteemed Victorian painters. His sensitive and beautiful portrayal of women and femininity is famous all over the world. His subjects from myth and legend formed a common bond with his predecessors in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, although he is considered an inheritor of that legacy rather than one of the Brotherhood. The Lady of Shalott (1888), A Mermaid (1892–1900), and Ophelia (1894) are some of his most enduring works.

  The suffrage movement relied heavily on its artists to produce the huge amount of publicity needed to get the word out to the public and to potential members of women’s unions. Illustration and cartooning were among the best ways to do this, and just as it can today, a funny cartoon could speak and show the truth where an article might miss the mark. The Suffrage Atelier (from a French word meaning artist’s studio or workshop) Vicky belonged to is historically accurate. It encouraged women to express themselves through art and to create things to sell in the many suffragette shops throughout Great Britain. And yes, life-drawing classes were taught at the atelier!

  Victoria’s Favorite Pikelets

  Pikelets are similar to English crumpets, but a little bit thinner, and were popular tea cakes during the Edwardian era. Stored in a plastic bag, they will keep for up to three days. Reheat and serve with butter, jam, or honey.

  INGREDIENTS:

  one cup of self-rising flour

  one tablespoon of sugar

  one egg

  one tablespoon of butter, melted

  1/2 cup of milk, or more if needed

  Sift the flour into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and crack in the egg. Stir while pouring in the milk slowly until the batter comes together. Add more milk if you want thinner pikelets. Stir in butter.

  Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat, and coat with a small amount of cooking oil or spray. Drop a large spoonful of the batter onto the hot skillet. Flip when bubbles appear, and cook until browned on both sides.

  Bibliography

  Atkinson, Diane. Funny Girls: Cartooning for Equality. London: Penguin Books, 1997.

  Atkinson, Diane. The Suffragettes in Pictures. Stroud, U.K.: The History Press, 1996.

  Blackman, Cally. Costume from 1500 to the Present Day. Andover, U.K.: Pitkin Guide, 2003.

  Brimacombe, Peter. The Edwardians. Andover, U.K.: Pitkin Guide, 2005.

  Crawford, Elizabeth. The Women’s Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide 1866–1928. London: Routledge, 1999.

  Dawes, Frank. Not in Front of the Servants. London: Hutchinson, 1984.

  Gardiner, Juliet. Manor House: Life in an Edwardian Country House. San Francisco: Bay Books, 2002.

  Gernsheim, Alison. Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 1963.

  Hardwick, Clara. The World of Upstairs Downstairs. New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston, 1976.

  Harris, Kristina. Victorian and Edwardian Fashions for Women 1840–1919. Atglen, Penna.: Schiffer, 1995.

  Harr
ison, Shirley. Sylvia Pankhurst: A Maverick Life, 1882–1960. London: Aurum Press Ltd, 2003.

  Hattersley, Roy. The Edwardians. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2005.

  Hayward, Edward. Upstairs and Downstairs. Andover, U.K.: Pitkin Guide, 1998.

  Johnson, Eleanor. Ladies’ Dress Accessories. Princes Risboorough, U.K.: Shire Publications Ltd, 2004.

  Karlin, Zorn Elyse. Jewelry and Metalwork in the Arts and Crafts Tradition. Atglen, Penna.: Schiffer, 1993.

  Laver, James. Costume and Fashion: A Concise History. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1969.

  Liddington, Jill. Rebel Girls: Their Fight for the Vote. London: Virago Press, 2006.

  Marlow, Joyce, ed. Votes for Women: The Virago Book of Suffragettes. London: Virago Press, 2001.

  Mendes, Valerie D., and Amy De La Haye. Lucille Ltd, London, Paris, New York and Chicago: 1890s–1930s. London: V & A Publishing, 2009.

  Olian, JoAnne. Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from “La Mode Illustrée.” Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 1998.

  Phillips, Melanie. The Ascent of Woman: A History of the Suffragette Movement and the Ideas Behind It. London: Little, Brown, 2003.

  Steinback, Susie. Women in England 1760 to 1914: A Social History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004.

  Trippi, Peter. J. W. Waterhouse. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2002.

  Worsley, Lucy. If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home. New York: Walker & Company, 2011.

  Acknowledgments

  This novel would not have seen the light of day had it not been for the many people who lent me their talent and wisdom.

  Thanks to John M. Cusick, my incredible agent, for making my dream of becoming a novelist come true, and for being so generous with your feedback and support. Having you on my side makes me a very lucky writer girl.

  To Scott Treimel, for taking care of those little details that make a writer want to tear her hair out. I knew I was in good hands from the start.

  To Martha Alderson, the Plot Whisperer, also known (by me, at least!) as a writer’s “oracle.” Thank you for helping me find Vicky’s voice and for guiding me along the plot path.

  To Gloria Kempton, instructor at Writer’s Digest University, who lent her expertise in the early drafts of Folly when the paint was still wet on the canvas.

  And to editorial consultant Sarah Cloots, who put her stellar red pencil to work, not once but twice, and helped me shape the final drafts.

  To my editor, Leila Sales, for helping me find Vicky’s story through her patient questions and thoughtful remarks. I’m a better writer for having worked with you and I’m forever grateful!

  To all the incredible people at Viking Children’s Books, especially Regina Hayes, Ken Wright, Kendra Levin, Kathryn Hinds, Janet Pascal, Kate Renner, Kim Ryan, Janet Frick, and Lori Thorn.

  To my father, Richard Biggs, a fine artist in his own right, who showed me the fundamentals of art and shared his own stories about art school. But especially for taking me to the Art Institute of Chicago when I was a little girl and holding my hand in front of Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (1884). You instilled in me a love of art.

  To art professor Christine Boos, my friend and a brilliant artist, who explained mural making, painting technique, and art history. Any mistakes are definitely mine!

  To my writer friends who gave me valuable and honest advice, but who also patched me up with kind words and sent me back into the fray when it was needed: Jennifer Salvato Doktorski, Katie Mitschelen, Tori Avey, and Tiffany Reisz. But especially to Melissa Azarian and Terri King, who were with me through every single draft.

  To Elizabeth Crawford, author of The Women’s Suffrage Movement, the bible of British suffrage. Thank you for writing such a compendium, and thank you for answering my questions about obscure things, such as what Clement’s Inn looked like. And to Beverley Cook, curator of Social & Working History at the Museum of London, for helping me with the museum’s suffrage collection and answering my many, many questions. And to Dr. Helen Pankhurst, granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst, who very kindly answered my queries about her venerable grandmother.

  To Evangeline Holland of Edwardianpromenade.com;

  Stephanie Pina of PreRaphaelitesisterhood.com and LizzieSiddal.com; and Jennifer Parrish of Parrishrelics.com

  for creating beautiful and inspiring websites of the Edwardian era, Pre-Raphaelite art, and jewelry inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites.

  To my family, who understood that I wasn’t being antisocial; I was simply writing. And to my niece, Ashley, who gave me some invaluable insight.

  And to my husband, Mark, who always knew.

  And finally, a humble thanks to the suffragettes who fought and sacrificed so much for women’s rights.