Educational Media Reviews Online

How did photographer Lee Miller (1907 –1977) accomplish so much in her career at the same time that she remained elusive to those closest to her? Capturing Lee Miller explores this enigmatic yet prolific photographer through accounts of Miller’s son, Antony Penrose, and others, while perhaps leaving viewers wanting more.

The start of Lee Miller’s career is credited to a chance encounter with Condé Nast. Yet Miller already had experience in photography when she arrived in New York in the 1920’s: she had modeled for her father, an amateur photographer. On the recommendation of Edward Steichen, Miller eventually left New York for Paris to study photography with Man Ray. This personal and professional relationship with Man Ray resulted in Lee’s own surrealistic style.

When Miller began working for Vogue in London during World War II, the Surrealistic style was still present in her photos of women dressed in war-time fashion. But a decision to go to St. Malo, France, resulted in a turning point in her career: she became a war correspondent, capturing the horrors of war. This eyewitness experience of war was also consequential in Miller’s personal life. As Antony Penrose explains, his mother’s sense of detachment may have been her way of coping with what she had witnessed.

Another reason for Miller’s dissociation was a traumatic event that occurred in Miller’s childhood. This formative event, combined with a career as a model, a photographer, and war correspondent, may all be reasons why Miller was able to detach herself so much from her photographs that her son only discovered the extent of her career after Miller passed away. Capturing Lee Miller may leave viewers wanting to know more about this detached, yet fascinating person. For example, how did Lee Miller combine technology and artistry to create her unique style? These may be facets of a complex life that are unknown, but one senses that there is more to the story of Lee Miller that has yet to be shared.