It's not very often we get a major motion picture centered around the life of a photographer, not to mention one of the greatest photographers of all time, but the story of Lee Miller is an incredible one.
In timing with the new movie's release, Thames and Hudson has released a new edition of the biography that inspired it – The Lives of Lee Miller by Anthony Penrose.
The title of the biography eludes to the many roles that Miller held throughout her life; fashion model, photographer, war correspondent, writer, and mother, among many more. The book is written by Miller's son, Anthony Penrose, which adds extra weight to the fascinating adventure that was her life and the unapologetically bold manner in which she executed each aspect of it.
The book is ordered chronologically starting with Miller's early life and foray into the world of fashion, not as a photographer but as a model. Miller became a Vogue cover girl in 1920s New York where she worked with many top photographers of the day.
This career saw her move to Paris, where she struck an infamous partnership with surrealist photographer Man Ray. Miller would model and pose for Ray's photographic experiments in his studio in return for his tutelage in photography.
By working both sides of the camera, Miller earned a living at the same time as absorbing the technical aspects of photography from the likes of Man Ray, George Hoyningen-Huene, and Horst – it would be hard to find greater mentors in that period!
Her natural next step was becoming a photographer in her own right, which began when picking up assignments for Vogue and other magazine publications. Miller photographed some of the most recognizable faces of the period, including portraits of her friends Picasso, Tanning, and Ernst.
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Miller then dramatically changed her life and reinvented herself as a war correspondent, most notably covering the liberation of Dachau, a concentration camp in The Second World War holding several thousand US captives.
One of the most renowned photographs to come out of this period was a portrait of Miller taking a bath in Hitler's bathtub as the war in Europe came to an end in the summer of 1945, another example of her unwavering personality.
As a photographer, Miller captured the truth of what life was really like on the front lines, including some of the most harrowing images. Both the book and the biopic movie look at the ordeal of capturing these images and the long-lasting effects the experience had on Miller.
Moving to the UK after the war Miller's life continued with just as much adventure, and the book is an incredibly gripping read about a remarkable life lived.
The Lives of Lee Miller by Anthony Penrose is published by Thames and Hudson and is available now for $16.95 / £12.99 / AU$24.99.
The movie Lee opens at UK cinemas on September 13, and two weeks later on US screens on September 27
You may also be interested in recent book releases by Man Ray, George Hoyningen-Huene, and Louis Stettner.
