First published in 1925, this selection of letters throws light upon the life and character of Constance Lytton (1869-1923), a brave and influential figure in the movement for women's suffrage. From an aristocratic background, she became a member of the Women's Social and Political Union in 1909, calling on the support of her many contacts. Among her achievements was the first-hand exposure of the poor treatment and force-feeding of working-class women on hunger strike in prison: she deliberately had herself arrested and imprisoned in disguise and under an alias. Compiled by her sister, Betty Balfour (1867-1942), these letters cover her adult life, mainly comprising correspondence from Lytton to close family members, interspersed with illustrations of her and her family. Despite omissions - particularly details relating to her personal relationships - this collection remains an important tribute to her life and to the history of suffrage and prison reform.

As viewers, actresses, directors and writers, women have always been central to cinema. However, evidence of their roles has until now remained scant and dispersed, eclipsed by historical opinion written by men. In magisterial scale, Red Velvet Seat restores women's film culture to center stage, using women's written accounts from the beginning of cinema up to 1950. Drawing on fashion and parenting magazines, newspapers and literary journals, memoirs and etiquette guides, and with contributors ranging from Virginia Woolf, Colette, and Rebecca West to psychoanalysts, poets, social reformers, labor organizers, film editors, screen beauties, and race activists, the volume displays the full scope of women's film culture. In each section, editor Antonia Lant with Ingrid Periz provides historical context and links archival accounts to major social and political movements. Comprehensive and absorbing, Red Velvet Seat is an invaluable contribution to the history of cinema.