Read on Twitter
We are excited to share our very first Twitter exhibition... First in the Fight: The story of the Manchester suffragette banner.
So, sit down, relax and get your best scrolling finger at the ready! And most importantly no touching the banner
#FirstintheFight
So, sit down, relax and get your best scrolling finger at the ready! And most importantly no touching the banner
#FirstintheFight
The amazing banner âFirst in the Fightâ banner was made in 1908.
It used the new Womenâs Social and Political Union (WSPU) colour scheme of...
purple = dignity
white = purity
green = hope
It used the new Womenâs Social and Political Union (WSPU) colour scheme of...
purple = dignity
white = purity
green = hope
The WSPU were founded in #Manchester in 1903 by Emmeline #Pankhurst.
The WSPU were also sometimes called the suffragettes and were militant campaigners for #VotesForWomen.
The WSPU were also sometimes called the suffragettes and were militant campaigners for #VotesForWomen.
The #FirstInTheFight banner was first unfurled in #Manchesterâs Stevenson Square on 20 June 1908.
It was often the starting point for marches and protests. Today it is still a site of action, with a George Floyd mural appearing at the height of #BlackLivesMatter
demos of 2020
It was often the starting point for marches and protests. Today it is still a site of action, with a George Floyd mural appearing at the height of #BlackLivesMatter
demos of 2020
The next day the banner was taken to the 1908 Womenâs Sunday rally in London's Hyde Park, attended by 500,000 people!
The message was to remind the wider #WSPU movement - which by this time had moved their HQ to London - that Radical #Manchester was where the movement began!
The message was to remind the wider #WSPU movement - which by this time had moved their HQ to London - that Radical #Manchester was where the movement began!
The banner was made by Thomas Brown and Sons, Manchester. They were a well-known maker of church banners in the local area.
Can you see the ecclesiastical style of the lettering and embroidery? This is similar to the style of many Sunday School banners!
Can you see the ecclesiastical style of the lettering and embroidery? This is similar to the style of many Sunday School banners!
The banner was looked after by suffragette, embroider and factory worker Elizabeth Ellen Chatterton who was born in Salford in 1857.
The banner stayed in her familyâs care in Salford, Manchester and later Leeds.
The banner stayed in her familyâs care in Salford, Manchester and later Leeds.
Family photos show Elizabeth Ellenâs descendants standing proudly with the banner in 1989.
In 2003/4, the banner vanished following a house clearance. Elizabeth Ellenâs great granddaughter Suzanne Bath made frantic enquiries to find the banner but to no avail!
In 2003/4, the banner vanished following a house clearance. Elizabeth Ellenâs great granddaughter Suzanne Bath made frantic enquiries to find the banner but to no avail!
In June 2017 the banner re-emerged in an auction listing! (We are eternally grateful for the tip off @womanandsphere & @wcmlibrary)
Sadly, on the day of the auction PHM was outbid but thankfully, the dealer who purchased the banner agreed to sell it to us...
Sadly, on the day of the auction PHM was outbid but thankfully, the dealer who purchased the banner agreed to sell it to us...
The banner made it home to #Manchester in late August 2017 
This was made possible with grants from @HeritageFundUK #CollectingCultures and @V_and_A / @ace_national Purchase Grant Fund and the generosity of our supporters through a successful @crowdfunderuk campaign
This was made possible with grants from @HeritageFundUK #CollectingCultures and @V_and_A / @ace_national Purchase Grant Fund and the generosity of our supporters through a successful @crowdfunderuk campaign
There were tears of joy when Elizabeth Ellenâs family were reunited with the banner in the Conservation Studio at PHM
Miraculously it had escaped light damage and its vibrant purple velvet was intact
Miraculously it had escaped light damage and its vibrant purple velvet was intact
You will be pleased to hear that PHM has a team of highly skilled conservators who know exactly how to look after this precious banner and all the other treasures in our collection, however...
WE NEED YOUR HELP:
It costs ÂŁ903 a day to take care of our listed building and look after the collection including the Manchester suffragette banner. PHM needs your help to get through the Covid-19 crisis. Please show solidarity, support, and share
http://crowdfunder.co.uk/futurephm
It costs ÂŁ903 a day to take care of our listed building and look after the collection including the Manchester suffragette banner. PHM needs your help to get through the Covid-19 crisis. Please show solidarity, support, and share
http://crowdfunder.co.uk/futurephm
To find out more about this amazing banner, check out our blog written to coincide with its appearance on tonight's @Channel4 #HistoricTowns with @theAliceRoberts @IWC_media
http://phm.org.uk/blog
http://phm.org.uk/blog
The Manchester suffragette banner will be on special display for a limited period at PHM as soon as we are allowed to reopen. Sign up to our free e-newsletter to receive reopening information and more
http://phm.org.uk/radicals-quiz
http://phm.org.uk/radicals-quiz
We hope you have enjoyed this twitter exhibition! Donât forget to exit through the gift shop, where you can get your hands on a Manchester suffragette tea towel...
http://phm.org.uk/shop
http://phm.org.uk/shop
We hope to see you again soon
