This week I visited the Museum of London’s wonderful Modern London galleries, and particularly enjoyed mooching around their women’s suffrage display. I’m not researching the suffragettes myself, there is so much work already done on them, but I do find them fascinating and of course they are of interest generally in terms of women’s interactions with Parliament. This is Emmeline Pankhurst’s hunger strike medal on display in the Museum of London.
Parliament has an Emmeline Pankhurst medal too, not for hunger striking as it pre-dates that, but marking her release from prison after the suffragette ‘rush’ on Parliament in 1908. It has her name on the front and the details of her imprisonment in Holloway on the back. The medal is in the care of the Curator of Works of Art Office in Parliament, and is on display off Central Lobby in the House of Commons.
Parliament and Women in the early 20th century 
Hi there! My name is Erika, and I’m a competing student in The National History Day Competition! My group and I are currently doing a project on Emmeline Pankhurst. We were all fascinated by Emmeline’s Medals, and were wondering you would be able to send us any information about her an her medals, maybe some pictures. That would be very much appreciated. If you do, please e-mail me back at pupcake1998@yahoo.com. Thank you for your time.
-Erika, Sarah, Bailea, and Abby
Hi Erika, I don’t have any pictures of Emmeline’s medals apart from the ones on the blog, but you could ask the Museum of London who have a wonderful collection of suffragette medals, http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk . Try your library for books on Emmeline and her family, there are loads, e.g. by Martin Pugh and by June Purvis. There’s some information about the suffragettes generally on the Parliament website here http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/ Good luck in your competition!