ARTIST AND SUFFRAGETTE, MARY LOWNDES  – Lettice Street, Fulham

 Mary Lowndes was an important stained-glass and poster artist, and an active member of the Suffragette movement. She was a leading light in the Arts and Crafts Movement and Chair of the Artists Suffrage League (ASL).

In 1897, with A. J. Drury, she founded Lowndes & Drury. In 1906 they founded the Glass House in Lettice Street, Fulham, which provided a purpose-built stained-glass studio and workshop for independent artists.

In January 1907 Lowndes established The Artists Suffrage League (ASL) to create dramatic posters, postcards, Christmas Cards, and banners for suffrage events.

 Between 1903 and 1914 the methods used by the women’s suffrage movement began to change and they began to engage in public demonstrations and other propaganda activities. Lowndes’ training as a stained-glass designer encouraged the use of bold shapes and a love of full, rich colours, using striking combinations of green and blue, magenta and orange.