This striking image is based on a 1908 poster designed by Caroline Marsh Watts (1869-1919) for the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. The figure of The Bugler Girl was adopted by the movement as its symbol in its ongoing struggle for the vote.
The NUWSS (led by Millicent Fawcett) was opposed to the militant tactics of the Women’s Social and Political Union (Emmeline Pankhurst's gang). So the image of a militaristic Bugler Girl inevitably raised some eyebrows at the time. The NUWSS countered such criticism by pointing out that “her sword is sheathed by her side; it is there, but not drawn, and if it were drawn, it would not be the sword of the flesh, but of the spirit.”
The Bugler Girl certainly trumpeted her message of equality loud and clear. The Bugler Girls of today are those who sign petitions, protest, march, persist. So don’t throw in the (tea) towel - let this feminist gift serve as a reminder to keep on campaigning for equality and justice.
