Helen Alexander Archdale (née Russell)
(1876-1949), Journalist; SuffragetteSitter in 1 portrait
After leaving St Andrews University, Archdale followed in her parents' footsteps, becoming a journalist and dedicating her life to championing women's equal rights. Her mother was one of the Edinburgh Seven, who had successfully campaigned to become one of the first female medical students at Edinburgh University. After joining the Scottish Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1908, Archdale was arrested for disrupting a meeting addressed by Winston Churchill and was imprisoned. Archdale and other inmates immediately went on hunger strike and she was released four days later. During World War I she established a farm for women to learn about agricultural employment. Her work continued to focus on women's rights in the work place.
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Helen Alexander Archdale (née Russell)
by Lafayette
half-plate film negative, 3 February 1928
NPG x42311
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