Procession of Emily Davison's funeral
1 portrait
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Procession of Emily Davison's funeral
by Ferdinand Louis Kehrhahn & Co
postcard print, June 1913
3 1/2 in. x 5 3/8 in. (88 mm x 135 mm) image size
Purchased, 1994
Photographs Collection
NPG x45196
Sitterback to top
- Emily Wilding Davison (1872-1913), Suffragette. Sitter associated with 2 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Ferdinand Louis Kehrhahn & Co (1883-1949), Photographers. Artist or producer of 1 portrait.
This portraitback to top
In June 1913, Emily Davison ran out in front of the King’s horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby, causing horse and rider to fall. She suffered a fractured skull and died four days later. Her funeral was held on the 14 June and was attended by suffragettes from across the country. They wore symbolic colours of white, purple and black and carried bouquets of purple irises and red peonies. The procession was led by a suffragette carrying a cross and union members dressed in white dresses with laurel wreaths. Crowds of onlookers gathered along the streets as the funeral procession travelled from Victoria to St George's Church, Bloomsbury, where a memorial service was held. A further procession took place in Morpeth, Northumberland, where her mother lived and where Davison was buried. Her gravestone bears the WSPU slogan, 'Deeds not words.' The first woman to die for the cause, Davison acquired the status of ‘Suffragette Martyr’, and the Government feared her apparent sacrifice would set a dangerous precedent.
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Votes for Women (27 January 2018 - 3 June 2018)
- Suffragettes: Deeds not Words (2 July 2014 - 10 May 2015)
- Photograph of the Month: June 2013 (3 June 2013 - 30 June 2013)
Events of 1913back to top
Current affairs
The Suffragette, Emily Davison dies after stepping out in front of the King's horse as a protest at the Epsom Derby. In the same year the Liberal government passed the Cat and Mouse Act allowing them to release and re-arrest Suffragettes who went on hunger strike while in prison. Davison, herself, had been on hunger strike and was force-fed while detained at Holloway Prison.Art and science
Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring comes to London following its premier at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Audiences were shocked by Stravinsky's rhythmic and dissonant musical score and by the violent jerky dancing of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, which were intended to represent pagan ritual.International
Henry Ford introduces the assembly line at the Ford Motor Company, rapidly increasing the rate at which the famous Model T could be manufactured, leading to massive growth in the motorcar industry and demonstrating to other industries the efficiency of mass production.Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.