Story

Women 'Below-the-Line': Foregrounding women creatives in the Stanley Kubrick Archive

A black and white portrait of a woman wearing a fur coat, reclined and smoking on a couch.

Written byVeronica Cain
Published date 26 August 2026

As part of my internship this past summer at the UAL Archives and Special Collections Centre, I was tasked to create authority records for the “below-the-line” women who played a major role in the production of Kubrick’s filmography featured in the UAL catalogue. This work formed a part of the service's on-going efforts to draw attention to underrepresented voices in the Stanley Kubrick Archive.

Through my work, I consulted various sources to obtain as much information as I could find to write captivating, yet succinct and historically accurate biographies of several women. I chose to write about Wendy Carlos, Milena Canonero, Diane Johnson, Sara Maitland, Tracy Reed, and Jocelyn Pook. From composers to writers, a costume designer, and an actress, this group of women helped realize some of Kubrick’s most iconic films, such as A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Additionally, consulting online interviews, personal websites, newspapers, magazines, and databases, part of what makes this research so interesting is having to draw from publicly available sources, cross-referencing to make sure the information is accurately represented.

Contact sheet of black and white photos featuring various portraits and a figure in various poses. — Contact sheet annotated in red marker featuring Malcolm McDowell [Alex] in various poses and costumes. Likely annotated by Milena Canonero. From The Stanley Kubrick Archive, SK/13/2/6/3.

Although this internship was designed to be carried out remotely, I had the opportunity to visit the archives during my internship, which was an incredible experience as a film fan. I got to see some of the most iconic props in cinema history (i.e. the “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” manuscript) and consult the records of the women that I’m researching for both the authority records and for my own understanding of how these women worked. Not only was it an enjoyable experience to meet the team at the archives in person, but it was also a great opportunity to get to experience the archives firsthand.

Black and white photograph annotated with red marker. The photo features two figures dressed in different black hats and white clothes. — Photograph annotated in red marker of Michael Tarn [Pete] and Warren Clarke [Dim]. Annotations were likely made by costume designer Milena Canonero. From the Stanley Kubrick Archive, SK/13/2/6/3.

A great part of this internship has been getting to contact the subjects as well. Through the assistance of the archivists, we seek to make the information and intent behind this project as authentic and representative as possible. We endeavour to contact the subjects (or their close known associates) about their authority records, which not only improves the quality of these records, but also makes us accountable to the subjects they describe.

I truly enjoyed my time at UAL and being a part of this project. It is rewarding to know that this work will aid future researchers and provide a larger spotlight to the women that played a powerful part in cinema history.

Black and white Polaroid photograph of two figures in a workshop. — Black and white Polaroid photograph of a photograph showing Joy Cuff working using a mallett and chisel, with [Roger Dicken]. From the Joy Cuff Archive, JC/2/4/2/2/1.

You can explore the Stanley Kubrick Archive catalogue online. You can request to view material from the archive by emailing archives@arts.ac.libanswers.com.

This internship was generously funded by the University of York Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past.