Read the excerpt from A History of the World in 100
Objects
What does the suffragette-defaced penny reveal about life
in England during that time period?
This object has on it the image of a king, but this particular
example has been appropriated by women - disfigured by
a slogan as an act of female protest against the laws of the
state. It is a British penny with King Edward VII in elegant
profile, but his image has been defaced in what was then a
criminal act. Stamped all over the king's head in crude
capitals are the words VOTES FOR WOMEN. This
suffragette coin stands for all those who fought for the right
to vote
that the laws of the state only applied to women
that women were often breaking laws to make a point
that the penny was not considered a useful form of
currency
that women wanted to change existing laws and gain
the right to vote