But beyond the portrait was another side of Bertha Palmer, her commitment to women´s rights, equality and justice. The portrait itself was a gift to her from her colleagues of the board of the Woman´s Building at the “Columbian Exposition” in 1893, to thank her for her outstanding leadership. At her inauguration speech•), she stepped out of her role as a party queen and lashed out at the dependence, unfairness and often disastrous conditions that women at that time were exposed to, in this country, and even worse in other countries. Women´s right to vote was unknown in most countries, their right to control reproduction was not even talked about. Higher education, and in many countries even basic education, was barred to women. Employment, unless it was in cooking, cleaning and other home-based work, was strictly limited. Marriages were often arranged, or, “at best”, the result of an unwanted pregnancy. Yes, it is true that those conditions still exist today, in more places than we would like to see. When Bertha made her famous inauguration speech at the Exhibition, she broke new ground.

In Sarasota, in 1910 and the following years, she would act from a new platform of inde¬pendence. She was a widow since 1902. Her husband had been proud of her, and he had under¬stood and sympathized with many of her ambitions. But her role in Chicago´s society made special demands on her. In her Sarasota life, she was the undisputed decision maker herself, in her business and in other regards. She could, and had to, figuratively roll up her sleeves and get down to earth.

Earth in Sarasota at that time was not the manicured gardens and golf courses we see today. Roses and orchids were not the signatures of Sarasota that Bertha would help make them. The land she bought, 80,000 acres, was mostly farmland, marshland and coastland, much of it infested with mosquitoes, snakes and alligators. Farming was not very advanced. The cattle were meager and, she soon realized, tick-infested. She, the elegant upper class social¬ite from “up North”, dared to speak out about unprofessional, low-productivity farm¬ing, which, understandably, was not always well received by her new neighbors. While there was love and respect, it was not the only feelings that ruled the relationships between Bertha and the long-time residents. To eradicate the cattle ticks, she initiated new methods, immersing the cattle in vats of antiseptics, a method that later became Florida law, and was taken up in more cattle-growing states. The productivity of the clean cattle increased, as they gave more and better milk and meat. She also imported new, high-producing cattle to her farm, which she had established, much in order for her to prove her points about agriculture in practice, in what is now Florida´s biggest State Park, Myakka. She put up fences to protect her cattle, which was seen as an unfriendly act by some neighbors who wanted to keep the traditional open grazing. Citrus growing was part of her agriculture business and was developed with the same enthusiasm. Her knowledge of Chicago and other areas in the US as well as Europe made way for expanded marketing, e.g. shipping grapefruit to Chicago.

She ran her real estate and agriculture business with great success, employing competent advisors and managers, all the time keeping a keen eye of every aspect of it. She also kept her old interests from her time with the Woman´s Exhibition in ´93, and promoted women´s equality and development, with generous acts of philanthropy as one of her tools. She con¬tributed to the start-up of a Woman´s Club in Sarasota, as she had supported the Woman´s Club in Chicago, gave women in her employ decent conditions and ensured that her black employees were treated with respect and dignity, more than was customary at the time. Women´s right to vote was legislated in the United States in 1920, two years after her death.

Gardening was one of her big interests. Her home, The Oaks in Osprey, near Sarasota Bay, was an example of her visions in creating a park of trees, flowers, walks and relax areas. Orchids and roses were introduced and thrived. The view over Sarasota Bay always fascinat¬ed her, and boat trips on the Bay was one of her favorite pastimes. “Here is heaven, at last” is a statement attributed to her.
She retained her interest in art. She admired Monet and other impressionists and kept a big art collection at The Oaks, as well as in her Chicago residence, which she visited several times a year. She kept her friendships in Europe and traveled frequently to Europe.

•) Her speech ´was largely a protest against the forced dependence and helplessness of women. She ranged the field, touching on social abuses, poor pay, inadequate education. It was neither “unfeminine nor monstrous” to compete with men in lucrative industries, said Mrs. Palmer. She deplored overdone chivalry and the tenden¬cy to put women on a pedestal. “Freedom and justice for all are infinitely more to be desired than pedestals for a few, “ she observed.´   (Quote from “Silhouette in Diamonds” by Ishbel Ross)