She Was A Model Who Then Became A War Photographer And Captured The Harsh Realities Of World War II
Lee Miller was a woman who refused to fit in one box. She dabbled in several professions that were all very different from one another.
Throughout her lifetime, she worked as a model striking poses in Vogue, a muse to multiple artists, and a war photographer who captured the harsh realities of World War II. Her job as a war correspondent was by far the most fascinating. But how did she go from fashion to the front lines?
Miller was born in 1907 in Poughkeepsie, New York, as Elizabeth Miller. She was exposed to photography at an early age. Her father was an engineer and amateur photographer who taught her the basics of photography.
After studying art and drama at Vassar College, she began modeling in the 1920s when she was discovered by Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue. Miller showed real talent and soon became highly sought-after by high-profile fashion photographers.
Less than two years later, her modeling career came to an end. In 1928, a photographer named Edward Steichen sold images of her to an advertising agency. The agency used them to promote Kotex, a brand of feminine hygiene products. The role made Miller undesirable as a model, and she stopped receiving offers.
So then, she launched her career as a photographer. She opened her own studio and went by the androgynous name of “Lee” to attract more clients.
However, Miller quickly grew tired of studio work. She moved to Paris in 1929 to train with Man Ray, a Surrealist artist and photographer. Initially, he was unwilling to take her on as an apprentice, but her persistence won him over.
In Paris, she befriended artists like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí, collaborating with them closely. All that training helped her improve her photographic techniques.
Three years later, in 1932, Miller went back to New York to reestablish her studio. Man Ray was devastated when she left and produced some of his best works in the following years using images of Miller’s eyes and lips.
zef art – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
In the late 1930s, Miller traveled to Paris again and reconnected with an old friend, English Surrealist artist Roland Penrose. They worked on projects together, capturing the daily lives and traditions of ethnic groups in the Balkans.
As World War II loomed over London, the U.S. Embassy sent her a letter urging her to board the next ship back to the States for her safety. She decided to stay in England and began her transition into photojournalism.
She offered her services to British Vogue but was denied at first. When the male staff members got called up to join the war effort, a spot opened up for her, and she was hired in 1940.
Miller was given mostly fashion assignments, which bored her. So, she started working on her own stuff and ended up publishing photo essays about the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women’s branch of the British Army. It was a huge success and helped Vogue go from a luxury fashion magazine to a serious news outlet.
In 1942, Miller became an accredited photographer with the U.S. Army. She snapped striking images of Londoners taking shelter during the Blitz, the aftermath of D-Day, the liberation of Paris, the heroic wartime work undertaken by women, and much more. At the time, Miller was one of the only U.S. Army female photographers to see combat.
After the war ended, Miller continued to travel across Europe and photograph women at work. She married Roland Penrose, and they had their first child together in 1947. Throughout the 1950s, she kept writing for Vogue.
In 1977, Miller died of cancer. Her son, Anthony, helped have her work and legacy preserved in the Lee Miller Archives.
A film called Lee, starring Kate Winslet, was recently released, and it focuses on Miller’s life and her experiences during World War II.
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