Lee Miller: A Life in Pictures

Antony Penrose has written extensively on the life and legacy of his mother, the celebrated Surrealist turned war photographer, Lee Miller. As the biopic starring Kate Winslet gathers critical acclaim, he shares thoughts and personal memories of Miller's storied career.

You grew up in a house that was filled with artists and creatives. What do you remember about your mother’s life as a photographer from when you were a child?

I was never conscious of my mother’s achievements as a photographer. As a small child I was always fascinated by her taking pictures. When she had her Rolleiflex in her hand she was a different person – purposeful, lively, entertaining and always willing to let me peer through the viewfinder. Later she lent me her beautiful Zeiss Contax with all its lenses and taught me how to use it, always encouraging, never denigrating my efforts.

In all this I had no idea how widely her work had been published and exhibited, and absolutely no clue as to her incredible work as a war correspondent. She never spoke about that at all and I remember when others asked her she would deflect them, saying she did nothing of importance and anyway it was all destroyed. If pressed she would tell the person about Man Ray’s work, or maybe Edward Steichen, Boiffard or others, with never a word about her own career.

"I had no idea how widely her work had been published and exhibited, and absolutely no clue as to her incredible work as a war correspondent"

Can you describe what happened when you discovered your mother’s war photography? You always knew about her fashion work, but did this facet reframe your view of her?

Discovering my mother’s war photography began my process of completely re-evaluating the person I had hardly known as a mother, but had experienced as a person badly affected by alcohol abuse and depression. I had been unaware of any of her photography except when I saw taking pictures of our artist friends in casual circumstances.

At first it was hard to believe she was the same person who had taken these amazing war pictures, but when I saw the back numbers of Vogue there was no doubt. It was the work of many years to establish the full arc of her career, and it still continues with new and exciting discoveries of her achievements. The result is that the world now has a photographer few people knew and I personally have a mother I did not know.

You have said that Lee’s ability to be versatile was something that underpinned her career. How did her previous work inform her approach to image making as a front-line correspondent?

Lee’s versatility began as a child when her father encouraged her to try things unusual for a girl. She joined in her brother’s games, sometimes dangerous, like an aerial ropeway. She learned to be practical, to manage danger and to never accept the limitations society put on girls. Her most important attribute was her curiosity. This was the foundation of her versatility.

When working with Steichen, Hoyningen-Heune, Man Ray and others, she gained from their different styles. When she became a front-line photographer, she used every previous experience that was relevant, and being so versatile she had a good range to drawn on.

Lee Miller created some of the most iconic images of WWII. Do you think there were ever things she was able to capture as a woman that she might not have been able to if she were a male photographer?

There are many of Lee Miller’s wartime images that could not have been shot by a man. The most obvious ones are the photos where we see the unguarded woman to women intimacy in her shots of the WRENS or the ATS servicewomen. Less obvious in this way are some of her portraits of men. The portrait of Major Speedy planning his attack on the citadel of St Malo shows the strain on this thoughtful man with the responsibility of sending his men into battle. No macho man-to-man posturing here. We see his agonised deliberating, sure many of his troops are bound to be killed.

"There are many of Lee Miller's wartime images that could not have been shot by a man..."

Your book is called The Lives of Lee Miller, and there were clearly many distinct chapters in her life. What was the most surprising you learned about her when writing this book?

The part of my mother’s character that impress me most is her sense of compassion, an attribute overlooked and often misunderstood by others. In the years I knew her she always seemed far too self-centred to care much about anyone else. That was an easy conclusion to come to as no one had any understanding of how much she was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that often made her self-absorbed. It was towards the last years of her life I found she had a massive and generous compassion for others, particularly young women who needed a little well-judged help or encouragement at a crucial moment.

Lee & LEE is an exhibition curated by The Lee Miller Archives Co-Director Ami Bouhassane and Producer of LEE Kate Solomon.