Lee Miller was a pioneering figure in both the worlds of art and journalism, seamlessly transitioning from a celebrated fashion model to a trailblazing war photographer. With her early life marked by both privilege and trauma, she used these experiences to shape her unique perspective on the world.
Early Life
Born Elizabeth “Lee” Miller in 1907 in Poughkeepsie, New York, Miller was raised in a creative household. Her father, Theodore Miller, was an amateur photographer, who introduced her to the craft, which would play a significant role throughout her life. However, her childhood was marred by personal childhood trauma. At the age of just seven, she was raped by a family friend, leaving physical and psychological scars. This experienced profoundly impacted her, though she rarely spoke of it. Her beauty, independence, and resilience gave her a fierce independence that would drive her forwards.
From Model to Artist
Lee Miller on Man Ray
When I met [him] in Paris, I asked him to take me on as a pupil. He said he never accepted pupils, but I guess he fell for me. We lived together for three years and I learned a lot—about photography
In 1927, Miller’s life changed dramatically when she was discovered by Vogue magazine magnate Condé Nast, who featured her on the cover of the publication. Her modelling career took off, and she quickly became a favourite subject for renowned photographers like Edward Steichen and Arnold Genthe. However, a scandal involving her appearance in a Kotex ad led her to leave modelling behind and move to Paris, seeking a fresh start on the other side of the lens as a photographer.
Here, she became romantically involved with surrealist photographer Man Ray. Together, they revolutionised photography, co-developing the solarisation technique, which became a key visual tool in surrealist art. Despite their romantic relationship coming to an end, they remained lifelong friends.
At a party I met a marvelous Egyptian; we decided to marry and went off to live in Cairo
Lee Miller on her first husband Aziz Eloui Bey
Miller’s personal life was a series of reinventions. In 1934, she married Egyptian businessman Aziz Eloui Bey and moved to Cairo. Though her life in Egypt was luxurious, Miller grew restless and returned to Europe.
World War II and Photojournalism
I was with the first American troops in the liberation of Paris and the first thing I did was to go to see my old friend Picasso. Picasso always said I was the first American soldier he saw.
Lee Miller on the liberation of France
It was Miller’s work during World War II that had the biggest impact. As one of only a few women accredited as a war correspondent, she worked for Vogue, covering key moments of the conflict, including the London Blitz and the liberation of Paris. She was present at the liberation of Nazi concentration camps like Dachau and Buchenwald, where she captured haunting images that remain some of the most powerful war photography ever taken.
Perhaps one of her most famous images is a self-portrait of sorts, taken in Adolf Hitler’s Munich apartment. Taken on the day he committed suicide, Miller posed in his bathtub, with her boots still caked in mud from Dachau placed defiantly on his bathmat. This image embodies her bold, unflinching approach to documenting the war’s aftermath.
Following the war, she met British surrealist Roland Penrose. The two fell in love and married, living on Farley Farm in England. Their home became a cultural meeting place for some of the most important artists of the 20th century, including Pablo Picasso and Max Ernst.
Personal Struggles and Legacy
Despite her professional successes, Miller’s post-war years were marked by bouts of depression and alcoholism. This was likely fueled by the trauma from her early life and the horrors she witnessed during the war. Her son, Antony Penrose, would later discover her wartime photographs hidden in the attic of their farmhouse, which led to a revival of her reputation as a groundbreaking photographer.
Miller’s personal and professional lives were inseparable in many ways, with each experience contributing to her unique vision as an artist and war photographer. Her story is one of resilience, creativity and unyielding determination in the face of personal and global turmoil.
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