John Singer Sargent RA, “Portrait of Henry James O.M.” / meat cleaver

In May 1914, this painting was attacked while on view at England’s Royal Academy. As reported by The Daily Telegraph: “About half-past one, when the attendance was thinning for lunch, the crash of glass was heard, and an elderly white-haired woman was seen to be hacking at the Sargent portrait with a butcher’s cleaver.”

The assailant was later identified as Mary Wood (an alias of Mary Aldham), a suffragette; as she slashed the portrait, Wood was heard to repeatedly shout, “Votes for Women!” 

On site, her act was greeted by fellow visitors – who, many newspapers were keen to stress, were predominantly women – with cries of “Lynch her!” and “Turn her out!” The Daily Sketch reported that one visitor “pressed through the crowd, and aimed a blow at her. A man who put his arm in front of her to protect her was mobbed, and his glasses were knocked off and smashed.” According to The Daily Telegraph, this man, deemed a suffragette apologist, ‘was seized, amid cheers and groans, and his silk hat was sent flying.“

For her part, Wood later wrote, “I have tried to destroy a valuable picture because I wish to show the public that they have no security for their property nor for their art treasures until women are given the political freedom.”