ABSTRACT
At the end of 1880s the artist Sophia Beale wrote to the suffrage leader Millicent Garrett Fawcett, explaining why she wanted the vote:
I was thinking when I read the account of yr. meeting on W.S. that if you want a strong example of the utter stupidity & injustice of with-holding the franchise from us, you might instance my case, without my name perhaps –
I pay rent & taxes £130 – I have nothing but what I earn by painting, teaching & writing – & naturally have to work exceedingly hard. (My stepmother, who lives with me, has enough for herself – but were she not here it w. make little or no difference to me) –
We let out our ground floor unfurnished & reduce our rent, as the house is bigger than we want.
My classes I hold on the 1st floor – I paint in a studio above. Now here is the absurdity – My lodger, a young man of 26–30 doing absolutely nothing but moon about the town & amuse (!) himself – who is allowed an income by his mother – who gets up at 12, or 1 – & goes to bed at 2 or 3 am…passing his time smoking, dawdling & imbibing brandies & sodas…has a vote –
The owner of the house, working early and late with all the responsibilities of a professional name, somewhat useful (I hope) in her generation at all events not useless… this individual because she is a woman is not capable of voting! Imagine my feelings!
Again, I may vote for parish guardians of whom I know nothing: but for an M.P. of whose opinions I can judge I cannot!… I need not add that the vote the house has is Tory – what it ought would be radical!
