INTERNATIONAAL 
Women's Rights Worldwide
The International Alliance of Women,
at the Aletta Archives
The Aletta Archives (former IIAV) was founded in 1935 in Amsterdam the Netherlands, by the feminists Rosa Manus (1881-1943), Johanna Naber (1859-1941) and Willemijn Posthumus-van der Goot (1897-1989). 
See also the visit of IAW members on October the 7th 2008 on the Dutch section.
Picture: the delegation of the Netherlands at the IAW Congress in Stockholm, 1911.
Sitting in the middle: President Aletta Jacobs.
At the right beside her, standing with papers: Rosa Manus.
Over the years, the Aletta Archives has built up a worldwide collection on the heritage of the women’s movement. It has become an authoritative centre of expertise on the position of women and in women’s studies in the Netherlands, Europe and around the world. This unique information centre boasts a library, as well as print and visual archives. In addition to its collection of paper documents, the IIAV has spent the last few years building up a digital collection.
Website: http://www.aletta.nu
The International Alliance of Women,
a bit of history
(For the 25th anniversary of the WEL, Women's Electoral Lobby, Australia, 1972-2009, click here)
Lettter from Pat Richardson
July 2005
About IAW history ... our Archives officer, Marijke Peters, is the main person to speak to. I know that most of our files are held at the Womens Library in London ... which used to be called the Fawcett Library ...
The library is situated at the London Metropolitan University, Calcutta House, City Campus, Old Castle Street, London E1 7NT UK. (I believe it is in a very grand premises now, a revamped industrial laundry or something like that.) Next time I am in London I must find it myself. Their email is acqunit.city@londonmet.ac.uk
Also, a very comprehensive book was written by Leila J. Rupp, 'Worlds of Women' The Making of an International Women's Movement, 1997 Princeton University Press. ISBN 0 691 01676-3.
This covers the three oldest Womens International groups, the International Council of Women, the Womens League of Peace and Freedom, and ourselves, The International Alliance of Women...from the late 1880's when the preliminary discussions began into the formation of International groups to represent Womens interests.
Centenary Book
The IAW has had a few changes of name since our first meetings..
We were first called, The International Woman Suffrage Alliance in 1904...and as Suffrage became a reality to most women in the world, it changed...all this was noted in the quick book Marijke and Helen Self put together for our Centenary last year in Berlin...the first formal meeting was in Berlin in 1904.
However, our Centenary book does not have an ISBN number and was a photocopied job...however, very good for all that.
I gave a copy to our local Jessie Street National Womens Library in Sydney, but I am not sure it was given to the Womens Library in London...although they have all our journals...and we have a monthly email newsletter now as well. Marijke would know all about that side of the globe.
(Picture: Selling the Centenary book in Freiburg, Germany. From left to right: Marijke Peters, Netherlands, Madge McQuaid, Ireland and Pat Richardson, Australia. In the background Sachiko Okumura, Japan and Irene Rundberg, Sweden).
Another book was written for the 75th Anniversary of the IAW. It was called 'Woman into Citizen' and written by Arnold Whittick, ISBN 0 584 970633. Arnold Whittick was the husband of one of the very active older IAW members in UK. (they would now both be very old).
I had given a copy of my book to someone, but was able to pick up another copy from Barnes and Noble and it was signed by Dame Margery Corbett-Ashby herself...she was the long time President of the Alliance, from 1923-46. (She lived to be 99...I just missed meeting her as she died just before our Association was admitted into the Alliance in 1982 in Finland.).
I belong to the Women's Electoral Lobby, which was founded at the beginning of the scond Wave in 1972 of Feminism in Australia. And two of us from WEL attended in Finland to see our organisation admitted...(at our own expense of course, as we still do)...Pat Giles from Western Australia and myself from N.S.W.
We didn't know each other before that time...Pat has since been the IAW President from late 1996 until last year in Berlin 2004.
Actually, the President can only now serve two three year terms, but as there was only a two year gap to the Centenary Year, she pressed on for the extra two years...then was unable to be there as she had a terrible fall a couple of weeks prior, and so the Vice President, Rosy Weiss had to fill the chair in Berlin and Freiburg and then went on to be the new President.
I remember reading about Margery Corbett Ashby's funeral at Westminister Abbey in the first issue of the journal International Women's news I ever saw...
The book 'Woman into Citizen' I have, has notes in it and small alterations so must have belonged to someone who was actually there during the twenties and thirties. Unfortunately, whoever it did belong to, didn't put their name in it.
I notice also in Arnold Whittick's book that there is a section on the Alliance during the Second World War...and then the Revival after the war. If you want any extra details about the Alliance...I am sure Marijke Peters would be able to help you...
Also, I can recommend you to contact Dr. Helen Self, who helped her get the new photocopied book ready last year...Helen lives in UK and has written extensively on Prostititution in UK and was on the Board of the IAW for many years..and her mother Dr. Constance Rover, who has just died, was also a feminist Historian and would have had a fountain of knowledge on the Womens movement in UK and wrote at least two books on Women and Politics.
Also, there is a Womens Library with Feminist Archives in the Netherlands, Obiplein 4, 1094 RB Amsterdam...their email is tss@iiav.nl Please contact me if I can be any further help to you, I am only as far away as the keyboard.
Kindest regards,
Pat Richardson,
IAW Membership Secretary, Australia. iaw.membership@tsn.cc
For the 25th anniversary of WEL, Women's Electoral Lobby 1972-2009, Australia, click here.