Vida Goldstein was a feminist and suffragist and one of the first four women in the British Empire to be nominated and to stand for election to a national parliament.
I love trying to work out words and their meanings/origins.
The Shorter Oxford has a definition for 'vamp' dated 1918, colloquial, "A woman who sets out to charm or captivate men by an unscrupulous use of sexual attractiveness.' So is she on the vamp as in setting out to seduce voters?
And is that an iron she is holding?
Vamp can also mean 'patched up' or 'refurbished' and refers to 'a book of this nature'. Rather puzzling.
Definitely puzzling. I think the iron is related to the Anti-Sweating League - aim of the League was to improve the conditions of workers enduring sweatshop conditions, and introduce a minimum wage.
I love trying to work out words and their meanings/origins.
The Shorter Oxford has a definition for 'vamp' dated 1918, colloquial, "A woman who sets out to charm or captivate men by an unscrupulous use of sexual attractiveness.' So is she on the vamp as in setting out to seduce voters?
And is that an iron she is holding?
Vamp can also mean 'patched up' or 'refurbished' and refers to 'a book of this nature'. Rather puzzling.
Definitely puzzling. I think the iron is related to the Anti-Sweating League - aim of the League was to improve the conditions of workers enduring sweatshop conditions, and introduce a minimum wage.
Looking at the use of the phrase in Australian newspapers in that decade https://trove.nla.gov.au/search/category/newspapers?keyword=%22on%20the%20vamp%22&l-decade=190&sortBy=dateAsc&startPos=0
A 1901 article in the Sydney Truth newspaper says "official vamp given in the daily press" which is definitely a different meaning to seductress.
A 1904 article refers to "Walking shoes will be adorned with a buckle and bow on the vamp." Another different sense of the word.