Name/TitlePostcard: When We Fly
About this objectSpatz postcard no. 6046 [?] captioned 'When We Fly', depicting an early airship or passenger balloon advertising 'Hourly Flights to the North Pole' flying above a grumpy-looking moon with a Votes for Women banner across its face. The top baskets bears the words 'Please do not strike matches on the pole', while the bottom one says 'Suffragettes must not insult the man in the moon. He hasn't a vote.' Signed by Spatz.
MakerThomas Hind
Maker RolePublisher
MakerSpatz
Maker RoleArtist
Date Madec.1913
Period1910s
Place MadeEngland, Holmfirth
Medium and MaterialsOrganic, card
Inscription and MarksOn back, in faded black ink:
Addressee: A.J.E. Barbour Esq., 25 Aitken St, Accrington
Halfpenny stamp postmarked Blackpool, 9:30 PM, 13 Sept 1913
MeasurementsH: 138 x W: 88 mm
Subject and Association Keywordswomen's suffrage, right to vote
Subject and Association KeywordsPostcards - political
Subject and Association Descriptionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muriel_Matters:
Muriel Lilah Matters (12 November 1877 – 17 November 1969) was an Australian-born suffragist, lecturer, journalist, educator, actress and elocutionist. Based in Britain from 1905 until her death, Matters is best known for her work on behalf of the Women's Freedom League at the height of the militant struggle to enfranchise women in the United Kingdom ... On 16 February 1909, King Edward officially opened Parliament for the coming year. As a part of the occasion, there was a procession to the Houses of Parliament led by the King. To gain attention and to promote the suffrage cause, Matters decided to hire a small dirigible airship (similar to a modern-day blimp in appearance) owned by Percival G. Spencer and intended to shower the King and the Houses of Parliament with WFL pamphlets. However, due to adverse wind conditions and the rudimentary motor powering the airship, she never made it to the Palace of Westminster. Instead, Matters, beginning at Hendon airfields, hugged the outskirts of London flying over Wormwood Scrubs, Kensington, Tooting and finally landing in Coulsdon with the trip lasting an hour and a half in total. With the airship emblazoned with "Votes for Women" on one side and "Women's Freedom League" on the other, it rose to a height of 3,500 feet (1,100 m). Matters scattered 56 pounds (25 kg) of handbills promoting the WFL's cause and leading members of the league, Edith How-Martyn and Elsie Craig, pursued her by car. Her flight made headlines around the world.
Named CollectionGlasgow Women's Library
Object TypePostcard
Object numberGWL-2024-77-12
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved