The WSPU was founded in 1903 (and dissolved in 1917/18) by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel

• The WSPU had a following of between 2,000 and 5,000 (women only) members 

• Their designs, colors, and logos were designed by Emmeline's second daughter, Sylvia Pankhurst

They started the colors of the entire suffrage movement:

• Purple: dignity, loyalty, and royalty

• White: purity

• Green: hope and spring 

While they were labeled as "militant", the group were not always violent (although all the women were fiercely devoted to the cause)

• They wanted to cause disruption and some civil disobedience to to draw attention to their cause and to rush Parliament into action

• When Parliament did not rush to action, then they took more violent measures such as: breaking windows in 1912 and instigating an arson campaign from 1912-1914 

• When the women were arrested and went to prison, they participated in hunger strikes to draw attention to their cause and the way they were treated

This organization inspired other suffrage organizations in England (although as a whole they were less militant) and helped inspire the American Suffrage Movement 

The women in this organization cleverly used fashion and everyday objects to draw attention to their movement including:

• Pins and Badges that could be worn at all times that could either be more blatant or more inconspicuous 

• Dish ware: they designed tea cups and saucers (among other things) with their logo and had them in their houses. These were practical everyday objects that were on display everyday and were objects that everyone had/needed

• Flags and sashes: these two items are perhaps the most well known symbols of the suffrage movement and the WSPU employed these during marches and major acts to draw attention to their cause and to make it known that they were with the WSPU. It was an easy and blatant fashion statement. 

• Playing Cards: playing cards with the green and purple design reading "Votes For Women" were circulated around at some point. It was a clever use of an everyday object to make sure that their cause was not forgotten 

There were two sides of the media, the side that painted them rather favorably and the side that did not. 

• The Women used both to their advantage, as they wanted attention either way, but they were disappointed and sad with the fact that were portrayed as "heartless" and "cold", especially in regrads to their fellow members. They were heartbroken when their women got arrested. 

• They even had their own media: 

  • They had two different weekly newspapers at different points: "Votes for Women" and "The Suffragette" 

  • It had amassed a circulation of 22,000 by 1909