The Thatcher-led 1980s was a tumultuous political period in the UK, especially when it came to workers’ rights, anti-racism protests, the Northern Ireland conflict and gentrification. It was a decade of change, and these changes were documented through extensive photography by a range of creatives, including many women. A new exhibition at Tate Britain, The 80s: Photographing Britain, aims to spotlight the work of these artists and photographers to show how photography became a powerful and influential tool for social representation, cultural celebration and artistic expression.

For the women who set up photography collectives and engaged in the art form, there was an added layer of working in a heavily male-dominated profession – especially for those who went out and captured imagery of protests and activist movements. Below, Stylist speaks to five of the photographers involved in the Tate exhibition about their work.

Joanne O’Brien

“Along with my colleagues in Format Photographers, I had been covering protests and life at the Greenham Women’s Peace Camp since 1982. I heard that a number of women were planning to cut their way into the base, so I made sure that I was in the right place at the right time. This picture shows the rough treatment meted out to those who managed to get on to the site. In keeping with their anti-war beliefs, Greenham women protestors practised non-violent passive resistance when accosted by soldiers or police.

Photographing protests is quite physically demanding and, sometimes, very moving. You’re on your feet – walking, running and climbing up onto walls or other street furniture to get a better view. I have found photographing demonstrations an energising and exciting experience, and very cheering to see people demonstrate against injustice in solidarity with others who are suffering. It’s very moving to see so many people take the time to go out and protest against hardship and cruelty. You never know what will happen. I remember needing stitches in my face once after I’d thrown myself to the ground when some shooting started in Northern Ireland.

When it comes to protests, I’ve always tried to break away from a male-oriented point of view and question assumptions about what I should include. Including images of women in my final selection from a demo has always been part of my practice.”

Melanie Friend

“I photographed at Greenham Common on many occasions in the 1980s, and I also photographed anti-nuclear protests at other UK bases. I had many inspiring encounters with the Greenham protestors, and after going there a few times, I became part of the telephone network whereby Greenham women would telephone photographers and journalists they knew, normally in the evening, and let them know an action was about to take place the following day. On one chilly winter’s night, I stayed overnight at Greenham in a ‘bender’ (made from bent branches and plastic), briefly witnessing the discomfort of conditions at the camp and being hugely impressed by the resilience of women who lived there long term. I also have a vivid memory of a police officer raising his arm and deliberately smashing my flashgun off my camera’s hotshoe. I’d just been photographing women protestors being arrested in the woods after determinedly attempting to cut their way into the military base with bolt cutters.

Photographing demonstrations in the 1980s was an incredible experience. It was a rebellious time, and it was exciting to be documenting it, as many of us photographers supported the demonstrators. There were so many protests against the Thatcher government; when you pitched up at a demonstration, you always saw photographers you knew. There was great camaraderie and solidarity with other photographers there.”

Maggie Murray

“I took this picture at Greenham Common women’s peace camp during a huge demonstration they organised in December 1982. It was part of their decade-long, imaginative and non-violent campaign to have nuclear weapons removed from the US airbase on the Common. The event – Embrace the Base – involved 30,000 people linking hands around the nine-mile perimeter fence. Much of that fence was heavily decorated with banners, posters, objects and webs. The woven webs exemplified the delicacy and perseverance of the women, as well as the strength of their networking.

I went to Greenham on many occasions, often with colleagues from Format Photographers – a unique agency for professional women photographers (1983–2003). I was a founding member of Format, which we set up because male photographers dominated during that era. We felt that women needed to be taken more seriously and had to be included. I realised that if we wanted an organisation to represent us in that way, we had to do it for ourselves. We also wanted to take more control over what and whom we chose to photograph and how those images were used. We set out to cover individuals and issues that were rarely represented (or were misrepresented) in mainstream media at the time. For example, women, Black people, LGBTQ+ communities, disabled people and working-class communities. I felt that I was participating, in a tiny way, to a much larger movement and a pressure for change.”

Jenny Matthews

“The Greenham picture of a doll on the fence was taken in 1982 during the spring equinox protest against the siting of American nuclear weapons in the Berkshire countryside. A call had gone out for people, particularly women, to visit the camp and to decorate the nine-mile perimeter fence.

Capturing protests can be exciting and dramatic, and a way of participating in history (eg the miners’ strike, peace movement, Extinction Rebellion). The Greenham women realised the power of originality, which included the use of the spider as a symbol to the home-made signs and responses to the fence. Photographers do get arrested, though; if they are seen to be allied to the protesters, their equipment can be taken by the police. It was certainly easier to photograph at Greenham as a woman and being part of Format helped enormously both in terms of knowing what was going on and being trusted as an all-female agency.”

Pam Isherwood

“In 1986, Haringey was one of the first councils to set up a Lesbian and Gay Unit. There was some resistance, co-ordinated by local Conservatives, but it also came from parents’ groups who had not previously come across out-and-proud gay people. There were furious council meetings, which culminated in a book burning outside the Town Hall. Gay and Black groups set up small and bigger responses. In May 1987, they held a big ‘Smash the Backlash’ march, where instead of parading up and down the High Road, it went around The Roundway and back, a route through private houses and council estates.

I did a lot of photographing demonstrations of many shapes, from static pickets to big national marches. I’d been following the Haringey story, friends of mine were involved in the Unit, so of course I went. Around 3,500 people turned up. It was a good-hearted event and any objection from the parents’ rights group was muted. It ended at the Town Hall and then, as often happened, in the pub. It was one of the first events to work effectively across LGBTQ+, Black, feminist, left and trades union groups – because of the determination to not let ourselves be set against each other.

My photography has often been about the politics I’m involved with, albeit sometimes peripherally. Most of my protest and demonstration jobs were not commissioned; I would just go out of interest and hope to sell the images afterwards. I notice women in a crowd that men may not. In a mixed crowd, I will try to centre any women there, though that can in fact create a misleading effect if there are mostly men, it makes them look more inclusive than a demonstration may be. I guess I can connect easier to other women than some men could.”

The 80s: Photographing Britain runs at Tate Britain from 21 November 2024–5 May 2025.

Images: Joanne O’Brien; Melanie Friend; Maggie Murray; Jenny Matthews