Sylvia Pankhurst's War Belt

40" x 20".

Mercerized cotton thread dyed with logwood,pomegranate, myrobalan, weld and marigold.

The poem Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll, from Alice's Adventures Through The Looking Glass, is spelled out in morse code on this war belt. Each thread is a letter in the poem and the small and large knots represent the dots and dashes of morse code.

Sylvia Pankhurst fought for women's suffrage. She belonged to the Women's Social and Political Union, formed by her mother and sister, Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst. She was imprisoned and force fed multiple times for her convictions and actions.

She was a supporter of Home Rule for Ireland and was friends with Keir Hardie. She was a supporter of working women and the Trade Union Movement. She knew Lenin, who described her as too left wing even for him! She was a pacifist, a communist and spoke out again Fascism. She was a thorn in the side of Winston Churchill.

Sylvia Pankhurst was an artist, writer and editor. Her newspapers spread and furthered her ideas. She published New Times and Ethiopian News for over 20 years and used this as a vehicle to support Ethiopia after the Italian fascists, under Mussolini, invaded the country in 1935. Haile Selassi gave her a home in Addis Ababa where she moved in 1954 and lived until her death in 1960. Selassi gave her a state funeral which was attended by dignitaries and represetatives from many countries, but not from Britain. It appears her country was slow to recognize her contributions to social justice and world peace.

There are so many fascinating aspects of Sylvia Pankhurst's life and legacy. Here are some pieces that offer lots of information:

A review of Rachel Holmes' biography of Sylvia Pankhurst

Rachel Holmes being interviewed about her biography Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel

A funny and informative half hour video by comedian Mark Steel summarizing Sylvia Pankhurst's achievements