Skip to main content

New top story from Time: The Forgotten Woman Who Helped Save Countless Birds by Challenging the Fashion for Feathers

https://ift.tt/3jkDIJx

This post is in partnership with History Today. The article below was originally published at History Today.

Settled into a comfortable married life in Didsbury, then a leafy part of Manchester, Emily Williamson held a succession of afternoon teas in 1889. Yet, while serving tea and fruitcake in her drawing room filled with ladies, Williamson, by all accounts a gentle and compassionate person, would become furious.

Her purpose in these afternoon teas was to tell her society guests about the worldwide carnage of birds that provided every fashionable lady with hats flowing with ostrich and egret plumes, entire birds of paradise or sets of tiny, jewel-colored hummingbirds, each wired separately so that they bobbed about as their wearer walked.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

In the late 19th century, London was the epicenter of the world feather trade, its docks receiving huge quantities of bird skins, heads, wings and an enormous array of feathers. Sales attracted international buyers. The trade was worth £20 million a year (around £2.5 billion today) and at least 200 million birds were being killed every year worldwide.

In 1887 a single London dealer handled two million egret skins, sought for their long and airy breeding plumes. Trinidad alone exported 15,000 hummingbirds a week in the 1800s. At just one London sale in 1911 there were nearly 25,000 hummingbird skins, over 6,000 birds of paradise, 2,600 eagle skins and over 6,000 ounces of egret plumes, among other feathers. The only surviving remnant of this trade today is the former premises of feather merchants H. Bestimt and Co Ltd in Hoxton in London’s East End.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

British birds were being slaughtered, too, including seashore-nesting terns and sea cliff-nesting kittiwakes. Great crested grebes, elegant and common waterbirds, develop a corolla of elongated black and chestnut feathers around their head and neck when breeding. Known to milliners as “tippit,” these ear-like frills became fashionable for hat decor. So popular were they that soon just 42 breeding pairs survived.

As a result of her afternoon tea meetings, Williamson co-founded the Society for the Protection of Birds (SPB). A letter of 1890 to Punch magazine fired up that publication’s enthusiasm for her cause; its editorials argued that giving up feathers was far from “a severe, self denying ordnance” for ladies. But by no means everyone was supportive. Williamson had failed in her attempt to join the British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU), then a bastion of exclusive male membership, which held that women could not be serious ornithologists. And, while Punch might have supported Williamson’s cause, most publications were critical. The editor of the journal Nature Notes wrote in 1891 that:

To assume such a very ambitious title for ‘The Society for the Protection of Birds’ for a band of ladies who do nothing but abstain from personal iniquity in the matter of bonnets, may give occasion for the unrighteous to scoff.

Despite this, within six months the SPB had 5,000 members, a number that doubled by 1893. It was sending out more than 15,000 letters and 50,000 leaflets annually. The long-established Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) commented that it was growing laterally, like a branching taproot.

By the autumn of 1892 it seemed they had achieved some success; while hats adorned with birds and feathers were still on sale, they were no longer in every milliner’s shop. But the SPB needed to address another issue. Most influential ornithologists in Britain were male and the plumage trade, the fashion industry and the press were all still run by men. Yet the SPB, despite its growing numbers, had few men as members. The solution was to invite influential men to join the SPB as “Life Associates” — and many did.

By 1899 membership had reached 20,000 and that year Queen Victoria — who disliked cruelty towards animals — confirmed an order to prohibit the wearing of egret feather sprays by her military; they were replaced with farmed ostrich feathers.

Despite these small victories, by the 20th century the SPB’s campaigning had still not reduced substantially the demand for feathers, while its membership growth had leveled off. With limited political success, the SPB decided it should direct its energies instead to getting royal support for a ban: the SPB became the “Royal” SPB — the RSPB, as it still is — on receipt in 1904 of a royal charter from Edward VII.

Most British birds were already protected by a series of Acts, admittedly piecemeal, passed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Perhaps more importantly, as the SPB prospered, public attitudes increasingly supported birds’ protection, with the exception of the more edible species.

In 1906 Queen Alexandra wrote to the society expressing her disapproval at the wearing of plumes. A fashion leader, a pin-up of the day and extremely popular, Alexandra’s support proved a substantial boost to gaining parliamentary influence. Yet advances continued to face resistance. Every argument put forward by conservationists for a ban was opposed by the millinery trade and its supporters, who claimed that such impacts were wrong — and that the birds would have died anyway.

“Special pleading was employed by the plumage trade,” argues the historian Richard Moore-Colyer:

If wild birds were left in their natural state, it was averred, they would probably be eliminated by local natives, so the best way to ensure their future survival would be to create a demand for their plumage. After all, had it not been for the commercial importance of its feathers, the South African ostrich would have been eliminated by hunters before successful programmes of domestication had been undertaken.

There was a further setback in 1912, the peak year for shop window-breaking by British suffragettes. There was public uproar and concerns over feathers and bird skins seemed politically inconsequential in comparison. The leadership of the RSPB was furious with the suffragettes — who it already opposed — and even more so with the government’s inaction.

Real political progress finally came in 1920, when Colonel Sir Charles Yate introduced a plumage bill in the House of Commons. It was defeated, but in July 1921 the Importation of Plumage (Prohibition) Act was passed by Parliament. It became law the following year, 33 years after Williamson’s original initiative. A few species, including farmed ostriches and eider ducks, whose feathers were used in bedding, were exempted, a fraction of those the millinery trade had pressed for. The Act prevented the importation into Britain of feathers, bird skins and bird parts. With London the center of the international trade, the Act was a mortal blow.

Despite her role, Williamson has been largely forgotten. It is only in recent years, after much prompting, that the RSPB has paid sufficient attention to its female founders. Williamson’s drive, determination — and afternoon teas — ended a multi-million-pound global trade and put bird conservation on Britain’s political map, where it has remained ever since.

Malcolm Smith is author of Hats: A Very Unnatural History (Michigan State University Press, 2020).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Residents Overwhelmingly Support Slow Streets

Residents Overwhelmingly Support Slow Streets By Eillie Anzilotti After over a year of Slow Streets providing safe, low-volume corridors for people to walk, bike, play and travel during the pandemic, we’re excited to share our first comprehensive evaluation of the program . The key takeaway? San Franciscans are overwhelmingly in support of Slow Streets. Slow Streets are designed to limit through traffic on certain residential streets and allow them to be used as a shared roadway for people traveling by foot and by bicycle. Since introducing Slow Streets in April 2020 in response to the Mayor’s Emergency Health Order, SFMTA has designated around 30 corridors covering 47 miles of roadway as Slow Streets. The program has evolved from a critical component of San Francisco’s pandemic response and recovery to a potential new avenue to further the city and SFMTA’s goals around climate action and sustainable transportation. As the Slow Streets program has grown, we wanted to make sure we...

Transit Lanes Keep Muni Moving on Mission Street in SoMa

Transit Lanes Keep Muni Moving on Mission Street in SoMa By Erin McMillan The full-time transit lanes on Mission Street downtown installed as a temporary emergency measure during the pandemic will be made permanent. The first of the city’s Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes to get permanent authorization, they were unanimously approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors at their June 15, 2021 meeting. This shows how a quick-build project can be installed, evaluated, and refined in a relatively short amount of time.   Thousands of daily riders have already felt the impact of the full-time transit lanes since they were first temporarily installed last summer. Now, riders of the 14 Mission, 14R Mission Rapid, and many SamTrans and Golden Gate Transit customers will continue to benefit from the transit time savings we have seen with the implementation of these lanes. Mission Street in SoMa has been a major transit corridor for years, serving regional commuter...

New Sculptures Light up Van Ness Avenue

New Sculptures Light up Van Ness Avenue By Luis “Loui” Apolonio Light sculpture at Van Ness Avenue and O'Farrell Street Spectators gathered both online and in person to watch new lighting sculptures on Van Ness turned on for the first time on March 31, 2022. The whimsical and brightly colored sculptures located on the new Van Ness BRT boarding platform between Geary and O’Farrell are made of steel with LED lights inside on a timer set to illuminate at night.  The lighting event was kicked off with SFMTA Director Jeff Tumlin and MTAB Chair Gwyneth Borden serving as emcees. Mary Chou, Director of Public Arts and Collections at the San Francisco Arts Commission, spoke about the art installation itself, as well as the process for selecting the artist who would be awarded the project. In addition, Maddy Ruvolo, a member of the SFMTA’s Accessible Services team and a recently appointed member of President Biden’s U.S. Access Board, shared the importance of having accessibility as a ...

New top story from Time: TWICE Delivers Uplifting Performance of ‘DEPEND ON YOU’ at TIME100 Talks

https://ift.tt/3a8KgF0 TWICE delivered a special performance at the TIME100 Talks Friday. For the first time, the South Korean group performed the track “DEPEND ON YOU” from its latest album, Eyes Wide Open . As the coronavirus pandemic continues, members Jihyo, Nayeon, Momo, Sana, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu offered fans a message of solidarity and gratitude (vocalist Jeongyeon is on hiatus due to health reasons). “ Currently, we are sad to say that we are also aware that all of us are suffering in this situation,” Sana said. “We appreciate all people who are doing their best to return us to our normal lives and to bring back brighter days,” Nayeon continued. “TWICE will diligently keep on carrying out our duty to bring positive energy into the world,” Mina said. In line with these words, the group sang “DEPEND ON YOU”—a breezy, mellow track about steady hands that offer strength and support in the midst of darkness. “DEPEND ON YOU” first appeared on Eyes ...

FOX NEWS: What is TikTok's 'Check Your Privilege' challenge?

What is TikTok's 'Check Your Privilege' challenge? Activists are calling for awareness and change following the death of George Floyd. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3crYd00

New Muni Service Changes Start Saturday, August 19

New Muni Service Changes Start Saturday, August 19 By Clive Tsuma 28R 19th Avenue will run on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. starting Monday, August 21.  Back to School  With SFUSD students returning to school August 16, many families who rely on Muni to get to school will see service increase after school as part of the new schedule. Because Muni vehicles often become crowded during morning peak hours and sometimes pass up stops when there is not enough room for more riders, families are encouraged to plan their trips ahead of time and hop on Muni early to make sure students get to school on time.  With every public school in the San Francisco Unified School District being served by at least one Muni route , students can expect extra Muni service on the first day of the school this fall and continue providing service throughout the school year. While the Muni service changes won’t be implemented until August 19, school tripper service will be offered starting Au...

New T Third Connecting Chinatown to Sunnydale Starts Saturday

New T Third Connecting Chinatown to Sunnydale Starts Saturday By Christopher Ward New Muni Metro map. This Saturday the T Third starts its long-awaited new route connecting Chinatown-Rose Pak Station from 4th & King in Central Subway, Mondays through Fridays, 6 a.m. to midnight every 10 minutes and Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to midnight every 12 minutes.   The K Ingleside will now travel between Balboa Park and Embarcadero Station. Customers using Embarcadero & Folsom, Embarcadero & Brannan and 2nd and King platforms should transfer to the N Judah at Powell Station or 4th & King. Watch the new Muni Metro service  map animations . The following bus service changes also start this Saturday: The T Third Bus will now run along 3rd and 4th Streets in SoMa and on Stockton Street north of Market Street to align with the new T Third rail line and will no longer travel on the Embarcadero and Market Street.   The 6 Haight/Parnassus  will now...

New top story from Time: A Photographer’s Journey Through the Dangerous New Age of Conspiracies in America

https://ift.tt/354JVAF In November 2017, the House Intelligence Committee released fake advertisements found on Facebook in the walk up to the 2016 election. As politicians on each side argued over whether the ads changed the election results, the heart of the revelation was way more disturbing. The Russian ads targeted the American public to deepen wounds on divisive issues and spread false information. Facebook said the posts were “ what we saw from these actors was an insidious attempt to drive people apart ,” according to Colin Stretch, the general counsel for the company. In 2020, less than one month before the election, America seems even more divided and deeply fractured after a turbulent year with a deadly pandemic, economic pain, and a chaotic presidency. With many Americans on lockdown, social media has been a vital form of communication — but one that is also driving dangerous conspiracies. From the false QAnon conspiracy, which promotes Trump as the final de...

New top story from Time: WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Accused of Conspiring With LulzSec and Anonymous Hackers

https://ift.tt/3hZ0cN4 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange conspired with hackers affiliated with the “Anonymous” and “LulzSec” groups, which have been linked to numerous cyber attacks around the world, according to new indictment by the U.S. Justice Department. Assange, who’s detained in the U.K. on a U.S. extradition request, gave the leader of LulzSec a list of targets to hack in 2012 and told this person that the most influential release of hacked materials would be from the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency or the New York Times, according to a statement Wednesday from the Justice Department. The LulzSec leader was cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the time, according to the statement. An Anonymous and LulzSec-affiliated hacker stole emails through a data breach of an American intelligence consulting company that were published in WikiLeaks, according to the statement. Assange indirectly asked that hacker to spam that company a...

Swami Ramdev LIVE: Yoga asanas to treat cough, cold, other ENT-related issues https://ift.tt/2Flexoe

The total number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed 22 million, including more than 777,000 fatalities. More than 14,783,000 patients are reported to have recovered. Follow this breaking news blog for live updates on coronavirus pandemic as it continues to pose a challenge for health workers and scientists who are in a race against time to produce a vaccine/medicine.