Suffrage scrapbooks and emotional histories of women's activism

This article draws on the scrapbooks made by two suffrage activists: Jane Cobden-Unwin (1851-1947) and Alice Maud Mary Arncliffe Sennett (1862-1936). Both women collected a range of suffrage material, from pamphlets to newspaper clippings, letters, invitation cards, and material objects. Using these eclectic volumes, I argue that their scrapbooks are vital for illustrating the range of emotions women invested in their suffrage campaigning activities. Emotions formed a key part of how women recorded their activism, which they immortalised in the pages of their scrapbooks, showing the sustenance they received from family, friends, and servants. More broadly, this study offers a case-study of how historians can use collections to unpack the affective histories underpinning women's activism.