After my last post, a nostalgia piece for International Women’s Day and Janes Plane, I found out* that I’m apparently one of the “girls from lost subcultures” in a photography exhibit, Visible Girls, by Anita Corbin.
In the summer spring of 1981, when I was 20, I went down to London with my partner, Carol (we lived together for ten years before I moved to the US to be with Kelley), for the first UK Lesbian Conference. It was academic and political. Carol and I were there, though, to party. And at the social we got seriously wasted on magic mushrooms. If I recall correctly (and that’s a big if—in those days I took a lot) Carol began to freak out a bit—those of you who are familiar with the psilocybin cycle know that this can happen to some people; it generally doesn’t last long—and I led her to a dark wall and put my arm around her to shelter her from the worst of the noise and light until she found her equilibrium. Just as she was breathing and calming down (but was not quite out of the woods) a woman with a camera appeared and asked if she could take our picture. I was a bit fretful behind my euphoria—mushrooms are like that—worried about Carol, feeling super-protective, and was about to say no when Carol beamed and said, “Yeah, let’s do it!”
At which point the photographer, Anita, took this picture.

Carol and Nicola in the Tabernacle, April 1981. Photo by Anita Corbin.
Photo “Nicola and Carol, The Tabernacle, Notting Hill Gate, April 1981” by Anita Corbin
Then I thought no more about it and got on with the serious business of reducing my mind to a microdot. Apparently, though, we signed a release, and gave her our address in Hull, because one day a few months later a book of photos, Girls Are Powerful, showed up in the post. We were in it.
I marvelled for a day or two, then I forgot about it again. And now I find out it was part of an exhibit in London. Anita is trying to find the other “lost girls” to reshoot for a where-are-they-now? follow-up. So far she’s found me in the US—I’ve told her about Carol in the UK—and two women in Australia. So if you think you might know any of those long-ago young women, pass along the link. And meanwhile don’t even think about saying I look like Harry Potter…
Also of interest: Anita has embarked on a fascinating project, First Women UK, a plan to photograph—brilliantly beautifully, archivally—100 portraits of women in the UK who were “first” in their field of achievement. The full collection will go on show in 2018 to mark 100 years of women’s suffrage. Here’s video of Anita talking about it.
First Women UK – an interview with photographer Anita Corbin
So if you have ideas about who should be part of the First Women project, or if you think you can help find any of the young women of Visible Girls, talk to Anita.
* I heard from three people I haven’t talked to for more than 30 years…
A couple of months ago, I decided to see what Pinterest was all about and came across this post which turned out to be one of my first pins: http://dangerousminds.net/comments/visible_girls_londons_lost_female_subcultures
I was a teen in the 80’s and that series of photos really resonated with me, despite being in the USA.
The punchline? I am fairly certian that I was listening to Hild on Audible at the time.
Until I saw your tweet today, I had no idea that was you in that picture.
Kismet!
Or, perhaps to be a bit less dramatic…..serendipity? Either way, amazing for you after all this time to reconnect with those images. Best of luck locating more of the women from the photos.
I love the fact that you didn’t recognise me in the picture (though the fact that they got my name and Carol’s the wrong way round–I’m the one with the glasses–certainly helps with anonymity). I’ve just had the two dozenth comment from a reader about how exactly my author photo resembles the painting of Hild…