Margaret Ashton

Henry Lamb 1883 - 1960

Summary

A full-length portrait of a seated middle-aged woman, seen from the left. She has her hands clasped on her lap, and is wearing a black dress with white frills on the neck and sleeves. She has her grey hair tied up, and a shawl can be seen hanging from the right hand side of the patterned arm-chair. There is no background detail. Margaret Ashton (1856-1937) became Manchester's first woman councillor in 1908. She was later shunned by the chamber due to her opposition to the First World War. In 1926 councillors refused to hang this portrait of her in the town hall and the painting remained in storage for nearly seven decades. It has since hung at the town hall in recognition of her tireless peace campaigning since 2006. Councillor Ashton founded the local women's trade union council and helped to set up a hospital for babies in Burnage in 1916. In 1917 she organised a peace crusade demonstration in Manchester that was stopped by police. This portrait was commissioned by CP Scott, editor of the Manchester Guardian, to mark her 70th birthday.