Never Forget That Suffragists Were Militant Bad-asses

There was long period between the first calls for suffrage (voting rights) for women in the U.S. and U.K. and its eventual enactment in the 1920s. To many suffragists this lack of progress felt intolerable, and many switched from mere persuasion to acts of civil disobedience. Many suffragists were shouted down or blocked from speaking, or arrested for trumped-up offenses. But under the motto "Deeds not Words", the Women's Social and Political Union deliberately set out on a campaign of violence to bring attention to the issue.

This art exhibit by Carla Zaccagnini, entitled "Elements of Beauty: Deeds not Words", catalogs one of their tactics, the damaging of art in public museums. It consists of replicas of the knives and other tools that suffragists used to smash protective glass and slash paintings.

Author's photos, taken at Malmö Konstmuseum (Malmö Art Museum), Malmö, Sweden.