During the Second World War, state treasures and works of art and historic archives were put in crates and shipped east.
Paul Smith is doing his bit, too, by revisiting designs from Gainsborough Silk's historic archives and introducing his characteristic stripes to create a collection of gorgeous upholstery fabrics.
For instance, the Labyrinth Project recently completed a history of the Ambassador Hotel here, where Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, combining newsreels, historic archives, shots of each room and "films noirs" taken there, said the project's director, Marsha Kinder.
Activist docs have risen in the 21st century to encompass varied voices, spanning Michael Moore's blockbuster style to smart unions such as Brit director Michael Winterbottom and Canadian activist Naomi Klein (The Shock Doctrine), historic archives and modern revelations.
The central place of deposit for Britain's historic archives at Kew, for instance, used to be called the Public Record Office, but is now re-named the National Archives.
Though the exhibitions barely last for 10 days and tend to favour black-and-white photography, they occasionally throw open access to historic archives from the maharajahs to Magnum.
