Borer, Mary Cathcart
Mary (Molly) Irene Cathcart Borer (1906-1995), scientific assistant, ethnographic department; active at WHMM 1928-1935
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Mary (Molly) Irene Cathcart Borer (1906-1995), scientific assistant, ethnographic department; active at WHMM 1928-1935
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Graduate from UCL, B.Sc. in Geography and Cultural Anthropology. Social historian, fiction and non-fiction author, screenwriter. Employed at WHMM in 1928 after graduation from UCL. Graduation photo is in Wellcome L series images, -
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Object selection for purchase: viewing items day before auction sales and marking up catalogues with items of interest. Identifying and registering items arriving after auction sale purchase. Worked mostly at the museum premises Wigmore Street or at warehouse for stored objects (Oxford St Marylebone Lane at Oxford St end), occasionally too at Willesden stores. Selected objects for display, arranged and interpreted them. (“There had been talk in the early days of our taking our PhDs, but as it turned out we had no facilities for this and no contact or access to the library at Willesden.” – oral history p11.).
Studied under Dr. Perry and Professor Elliot Smith at UCL; Perry recommended her for the job at WHMM (Symons 1987, 8-9) Borer left WHMM in 1935 and went on archaeological expedition to Armant, near Luxor, Egypt, with husband Oliver Myers under auspices of Egypt Exploration Society. Married name Mary Myers, m. Oliver Humphry Myers (1903-1966)
Oral history in Symons 1987, pp 7-13.
MSS.8269. One essay entitled 'Notes on Woad'.
MSS.8963 One screenplay entitled 'The Chief: Lord Lister - 1825-1912'.
WA/HMM/RP/Sta/2. ‘Staff Reports’ ‘Mary Borer’ Jan 1932-Jul 1933. (Handwritten, so contains handwriting sample, and what she worked on.)
WA/HMM/ST/ Lat/A.26. Report by Malcolm on Borer’s resignation.
Overshadowing the years in Wigmore Street was the registration of the vast Pareyn collection of ethnographic material from the Belgian Congo – hundreds of carved wooden effigies, thousands of spears, knives, shields, headdresses and so forth. There was a time when we, in the ethnographical department, could tell at a glance which river and tribe each item came from.
Symons 1987, p12-13.
Biographical notes and list of publications: