Another mystery photo from my great-aunt Gerda's photo album. As usual there are no written clues to reveal who, where or when. I'm choosing this photo for this week's Sepia Saturday, because it shows three women from around the same time period as the prompt photo of Emmeline Pankhurst & co (see below).
When guessing the time period of my photo, my only clues are the fashion and hair styles. I know Gerda is the woman in the middle (concluded from comparison with other photos). But I'm not sure whether the photo was taken in America, Sweden or France - or even somewhere else.
I also don't know Gerda's opinions about the suffragette movement. Working her way up as a maid, lady's maid, travel companion and housekeeper, I can imagine that she perhaps learned to keep her thoughts on politics to herself. What I know is that when she emigrated to America in 1902 (at age 21), women in Sweden were not allowed to vote - and only about a fourth of the men. When she returned around 1911, most men were allowed to vote, but not the women. When WWI broke out, Gerda was in France; and it seems she was unable to go back to Sweden for the duration of the war. In 1919, the right to vote in Sweden was finally extended to women (over the age of 23); but the first elections where they could actually take part were held in 1921. I do have some evidence indicating that Gerda was living in Sweden in 1921; so she may have been able to vote in that election. (Both my grandmothers, born in 1900 and 1902, would still have been too young, though - as the age limit back then was 23!)
