Telescope inscribed, 'Presented to Amy Johnson by the Liverpool Suffragettes 1906'.

This brass and leather telescope is inscribed 'Presented to Amy Johnson by the Liverpool Suffragettes 1906'. We believe that the Amy Johnson it refers to may be Mrs Amy Johnson, Secretary of the S.S.W.S. (Sunderland Society of Women's Suffrage), as detailed in The Suffrage Annual, 'Women's Who's Who', 1913. The connection between Amy and the local group is currently unknown. In 1906 a branch of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was established in Liverpool. The WSPU used militant tactics and was able to attract a diverse range of members including women with trade union connections and white collar workers. In addition there was a mixture of students, artists and women who moved in more Bohemian circles in the city.