Lee Miller: From Surrealist Muse to War Photographer
Lee Miller (1907–1977) was a renowned photographer, model, and culinary enthusiast. Introduced to photography by her father after experiencing trauma at the age of seven, she began her modeling journey when Condé Nast rescued her from a car at 19. In 1929, she relocated to Paris to study with Man Ray, where they developed the technique of solarization. She established a studio and returned to New York in 1932, concentrating on fashion and portrait photography. In 1934, she wed Aziz Eloui Bey and moved to Egypt. After her return to Paris in 1937, she married Roland Penrose in 1947. As a war photographer for Vogue during WWII, she captured the Blitz and the liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau. Following the war, she shifted her focus to cooking due to depression. Her son, Anthony Penrose, later revived interest in her work by founding the Lee Miller Archives.
Key facts
- Lee Miller was born in 1907 and died in 1977.
- She was raped at age seven and contracted gonorrhea.
- Condé Nast saved her from a car accident and started her modeling career.
- She posed for Edward Steichen, Arnold Genthe, Nickolas Muray, and George Hoyningen-Huene.
- Steichen sold her photo for a Kotex ad, threatening her career.
- In 1929 she became Man Ray's student and partner, co-inventing solarization.
- She opened studios in Paris and New York.
- She photographed the African-American cast of Four Saints in Three Acts.
- She married Aziz Eloui Bey in 1934 and moved to Egypt.
- She married Roland Penrose in 1947.
- She was a war photographer for Vogue during WWII.
- She documented the Blitz and later the liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau.
- David E. Scherman photographed her in Hitler's bathtub.
- She suffered from PTSD after the war.
- She bought Farley Farm House in 1949 and studied at Le Cordon Bleu.
- Her son Anthony Penrose created the Lee Miller Archives.
Entities
Artists
- Lee Miller
- Man Ray
- Edward Steichen
- Arnold Genthe
- Nickolas Muray
- George Hoyningen-Huene
- Virgil Thomson
- Gertrude Stein
- Aziz Eloui Bey
- Roland Penrose
- David E. Scherman
- Anthony Penrose
Institutions
- Condé Nast
- Vogue
- Condé Nast Publications
- Le Cordon Bleu
- Lee Miller Archives
Locations
- Paris
- France
- New York
- United States
- Egypt
- London
- United Kingdom
- Essex
- England
- Buchenwald
- Germany
- Dachau
- Leipzig