Re-burying the Bodies – Mary Field, Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff, and the modern masking of female pioneers

Much has been done to recover from archives the work of media workers marginalised by gender, race or class. This paper seeks to look at examples of promoting the work and reputation of working-class men, and how these have served to re-obscure the work and reputation of their female collaborators – even where those women have previously been given credit.
The Dig (2021; Smith) sought to reaffirm the reputation and achievements of working class archaeologist Basil Brown, whose skills and contributions were dismissed by establishment figures in archaeology and museum gatekeepers in his lifetime; but does so by replacing ground-breaking photographers Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff with a fictional ‘love interest’ figure. The BFI ‘remix documentary’ and accompanying box set / book Minute Bodies: The intimate world of F Percy Smith (2016; Staples) seeks to highlight and celebrate Smith’s cinematography in the film series Secrets of Nature from which the footage is culled; the original films were reissued in a 2010 BFI box set which inspired the Staples project, this recognises Mary Field as director, editor, scenarist, and scriptwriter for many of the films. The remix fails to mention Field’s name at all within the text or credits of book and film; while Staples is given full ‘director’ credit as Field’s credits are removed.
Both attempts to promote and monetise archival work, have masked the work of women, previously credited if under-appreciated, behind the newly curated reputation of their male colleagues, through processes of creative convention, commercial methodology and archival practice.