“I don’t believe in individual work in any case. All the work for a cause must be collective..." Alva Belmont's comments in the August 13th, 1909 New York Times article Suffrage Armory at Mrs. Belmont’s highlight the nature of the Women's suffrage movement as collaborative and in community. Building on what Susan B. Anthony and the first wave of suffrage leaders had started, Alva used her influence and resources to attract wealthy supporters and connect the women's suffrage cause with the New York elite living in Newport, Rhode Island. Her Conference of Great Women and famous "Votes for Women" tea set combined the elegance of high society with the revolutionary idea of women's equality under the law.
The Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum presents "Votes for Women: How Tea Sparked A Suffrage Revolution". This special exhibit features an original set of the 1914 Votes for Women Tea Set generously on loan from Ventfort Hall.
Guests will enter our interpretation of Alva Belmont's Marble House and Chinese Tea Room, designed by M.A. Candidate Irina Eichmann, and experience the intersection of fabric, femininity, and revolution.
