Margaret Bartels
Margaret Bartels, one of the four children of William Alfred Bartels (1847-1896), an army contractor and his wife, Marion Kelly Bartels (1862-1938), was born in Surbition, Surrey, on 25th April, 1887. According to Elizabeth Crawford, "the family was Irish, Protestant, Liberal, pro-Parnell, and Home Rule". (1) Her father was an army tailor who employed "20 men and 2 boys". (2)
William Bartels, aged 49, died on 9th March 1896 at 'Lissenden', Park Road, Surbiton. His effects were valued at £7,742 18s 5d. (3) At the time of the 1901 census, the Bartels' family were residing at 'Hillfield', Farnborough, Hampshire. Mrs Marion Bartels, a 39-year old-widow, declared that she was "living on own means". Residing with her were Margaret (aged 13), Olive (aged 12), Ruth (aged 9), Wilfred Ewart Bartels (aged 5) and three of Mrs Bartels' unmarried sisters: Harriet Elizabeth Kelly (aged 48), Agnes Annie Kelly (aged 37) and Kate Kelly (aged 32). (4)
Marion Kelly Bartels, one of the first women in Ireland to receive a degree, moved to London and Margaret and her sister Olive Bartels, attended Streatham High School. After leaving school both women attended art school. (5) Marion Bartels was a member of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) and both her daughters joined the organisation. (6) On 9th February 1907 they took part in the United Procession of Women (Mud March) in which more than 3,000 women marched from Hyde Park Corner to the Strand in support of women's suffrage. (7)
The Artists' Suffrage League was founded in January 1907 by professional women artists to help with the preparations for the first large-scale public demonstration by the NUWSS. Margaret Bartels joined the ASL. The chair-person of the Artists' Suffrage League was Mary Lowndes, an important stained-glass and poster artist. It later issued a statement saying that the organisation wanted "to further the cause of Women's Enfranchisement by the work and professional help of artists... by bringing in an attractive manner before the public eye the long-continued demand for the vote." (8)
The Gentlewoman held regular art competitions for readers. Margaret Bartels won the competition in May, 1908, for the best "Portrait of a Friend". (9) In April, 1909, she won it for the best design of a cover for a Cookery Book. (10) In 1909 she was granted her a free studentship at Camberwell School of Arts. (11)
In 1909 Margaret and Olive Bartels joined the Women Social & Political Union. In May 1909 her work was shown at an Art Exhibition organised by Chelsea WSPU "all of which are for sale, and are the work of artists interested in our cause, many of whom are exhibitions in London Galleries". (12)
Olive became an organiser of the WSPU but Margaret, who was "very senstive" and did not like attracting public attention. (13) However, she was willing to go out chalking pavements in order to advertise suffrage meetings and in September 1912 was charged with defacing the pavement at Norwood Road, Herne Hill. Found guilty she was fined two shillings. (14)
Margaret Bartels began producing art work for the WSPU. This included a poster advertising the WSPU newspaper, The Suffragette. (15) In addition she contributed the cover illustration for the newspaper on in April, 1914. (16)
Bartels contributed an illuminated manuscript, The Inner Beauty (1912) by Maurice Maeterlinct and three designs for bookplates that was used in The Soldier by Rupert Brooke. (17) Bartels also illustrated a privately published book, "Age and Mind, a collection of pithy sayings, rules and opinions garnered from many minds and compiled in a delightful miniature edition by Mr. Albert Hunt, C.B.E." (18)
Margaret Bartels remained unmarried and lived with her mother, at 23 Acacia Grove, Dulwich, Surrey, until her death on 25th June, 1932, at Guy's Hospital. She left effects valued at £391 12s 3d. Her mother, Mrs Marion Bartels was named as the beneficiary. (19)
Primary Sources
(1) Votes for Women (14th May 1909)
Chelsea WSPU: Now that the work of collecting for the Exhibition is over, we hope that our friends visiting the Prince's Skating Rink will not forget to spend some time at the Art Stall and Exhibition of Pictures, all of which are for sale, and are the work of artists interested in our cause, many of whom are exhibitions in London Galleries. The number of our quick sketch artists have been increased, and we hope no one will leave the Exhibition without patronising them,. Up to quite the last we had unexpected gifts. Miss Maud Beddington, Miss Mackenzie, Mrs Williams, Miss Margaret Bartels, Miss Mary M. White, and Miss Maud Gonne sending us specimens of their work.
(2) South London Press (27th September 1912)
At Lambeth Police Court on Tuesday, Margaret Bartels, Acacia Grove, Dulwich, was summoned by the police for unlawfully defacing the footway of Norwood Road, Herne Hill, by writing thereon.
The proceedings were taken under a by-law recently made by the Lambeth Borough Council.
Police Sergeant Humphries said the defendant and a lady friend chalked an advertisement of a suffragette meeting on the pavement. When spoken to on the matter, the defendant said she thought she was in a Borough in which there was no by-law. The spot was just on the border line of two boroughs, and it was just possible that the lady made a mistake.
Mr Francis (to defendant): Apparently, they do not like it in this borough, and you must not do it.
Defendant: I did precisely the same thing at the same place on the day before and nothing was said to me. How was I to know?
Mr Francis: I don't know. You are supposed to know the law. You must pay two shillings costs.
(3) West London Observer (16th December 1949)
Something very different is a tiny volume entitled, Age and Mind, a collection of pithy sayings, rules and opinions garnered from many minds and compiled in a delightful miniature edition by Mr. Albert Hunt, C.B.E. Says Mr. Hunt: "Many years ago I commissioned a clever young artist friend, Margaret Bartels, to illuminate some of the late Dean of Exeter's (Bishop Earls) inspiring soliloquies.