‘Sister Act’ by award-winning artist Jo Holdsworth is inspired by the Suffragettes arriving at Wimbledon Theatre for a rally in around 1912. This wonderful Edwardian theatre which now hosts touring West End shows was used at the time of the Suffragettes for meetings and debates to raise awareness of the Votes for Women campaign.

When Jo was invited to be the first artist-in-residence at Wimbledon Museum in 2023, Jo sketched the Museum artifacts and donated her sketchbook to the Museum. These sketches include a drawing of the ‘Holloway Brooch’ on show at the Museum which was awarded to Rose Lamartine Yates, a local Suffragette, following her imprisonment in Holloway Prison.

Jo was enthralled by the suffragette movement in Wimbledon and the life of Rose Lamartine Yates who was Organising Secretary of the Wimbledon WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union). Rose gave a number of eloquent speeches at Wimbledon Theatre and guest speakers from national suffrage societies were invited to share their views at these meetings too.

This painting created by Jo reflects archival photographs of Wimbledon Theatre at the time of the Suffragettes, as well as taking account of how the facade of the theatre looks now. The painting embraces the suffrage palette of purple, white and green, the Edwardian dress of women at the time as well as the history of Wimbledon, a fitting tribute to the Suffragette movement and the role of local women in helping to achieve women’s rights to vote.