Emily Chan
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.
