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Secondary sourcePhotograph6 May 1930

Unveiling of the Emmeline Pankhurst Statue, 1930

Keystone View Company · 6 May 1930

A press photograph of the 1930 unveiling ceremony for a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst at Victoria Tower Gardens, London.

Documents the 1930 unveiling of a statue honouring Pankhurst, held near Parliament two years after her death.

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Black and white photograph of a crowd gathered in Victoria Tower Gardens for an outdoor ceremony. A brass band in peaked caps stands in the foreground. A tall statue of a woman stands on a pedestal at right, and the Gothic tower of the Palace of Westminster rises behind it under a hazy sky.
Unveiling of the Emmeline Pankhurst statue, Victoria Tower Gardens, London, 6 May 1930. Keystone View Company.

About this source

What it is

This photograph, taken by the Keystone View Company on 6 May 1930, shows the crowd and brass band gathered at Victoria Tower Gardens in London for the unveiling of a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst, with the Palace of Westminster visible behind it. The ceremony took place about two years after her death.

Why it matters

Pankhurst led the suffragette movement for years and founded the Women's Social and Political Union. This memorial, raised soon after her death, shows how quickly she was recognised publicly as one of the defining figures of the campaign for women's votes, commemorated near the heart of British government.

Look closer

  • Why might this statue have been placed so close to the Houses of Parliament?
  • What does the presence of a crowd and brass band suggest about how the event was marked?
  • What does commemorating Pankhurst so soon after her death suggest about her reputation at the time?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Emmeline Pankhurst on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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