A Response Project - Print, Protest and The Polls

This was one of three prints which were invited from contemporary letterpress practitioners as a response to the National Print Museum’s exhibition, ‘Print, Protest and The Polls: The Irish women’s suffrage campaign and the power of print media’.

To mark the centenary of the first female vote in Ireland and the impact of print, I chose to commemorate the ‘The Irish Citizen’ and the motto which appeared on its front page throughout its existence from 1912 to 1920. It was the newspaper of The Irish Women’s Franchise League, founded in 1908 as an organisation for women’s suffrage. This print commemorates this radical newspaper and one of its founders, the Irish feminist, educator and journalist, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington.

Printed in a limited edition of 100, commemorating 100 years of women’s right to vote. Hand set with 20, 16 & 12 line wood type with further details in 22pt & 12pt Caslon and printed letterpress in three colours on 170gsm Zerkall mould made paper. The print makes use of the Irish colours to remember the Irish suffragettes who wore traditional dress so as to stand out from the other nationalities at the major rallies in Britain.