Lee Miller (1907-1977) was legendary for her beauty, which was captured on film by Jean Cocteau, painted by Pablo Picasso, and photographed by Man Ray. However, she was also a talented photographer, writer, and one of the only female war correspondents to be credentialed during World War II.
Lee Miller (1907-1977) was legendary for her beauty, which was captured on film by Jean Cocteau, painted by Pablo Picasso, and photographed by Man Ray. However, she was also a talented photographer, writer, and one of the only female war correspondents to be credentialed during World War II.
This month, we’re talking about muses–women who were drivers of creativity and inspiration. Once again, we’re proud to partner with Mercedes-Benz (whose famous namesake was inspired by a young muse named Mercedes). Tune in daily for stories of women whose lives inspired work that has shaped our culture.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
This month, we’re talking about muses. Women who’ve captivated artists with their charisma, wit and talent.
Today we’re talking about a woman whose legendary beauty was captured on film by Jean Cocteau, painted by Pablo Picasso, and photographed by Man Ray. But she was more than just a pretty face. She was a talented photographer, writer, and one of the only female war correspondents to be credentialed during World War II.
Please welcome, Lee Miller.
Elizabeth Miller was born in 1907, in Poughkeepsie, New York, to Theodore and Florence Miller. Theodore was an engineer and amateur photographer who introduced the art to Lee and his two sons. Lee's childhood was not easy. When she was only seven years old, Lee was assaulted by a family friend and contracted a sexually transmitted disease.
From the time she was a child into adolescence, Lee modeled for her father’s photographs – usually in the nude.
As a young woman, Lee explored a career in the arts. She first moved to Paris before landing in New York City.
While walking in the city, Lee absentmindedly stepped off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic. Before the car could hit her, she was pulled to safety by Vogue publisher and media tycoon Condé Nast. The chance encounter would turn out to be Lee’s big break – a March 1927 cover of Vogue. . She was also photographed by the leading fashion photographers of the time, Arnold Genthe, Nikolas Muray, and Edward Steichen.
Lee continued to model until a photo of her was used without her permission in a Kotex ad. She became persona non grata in the fashion industry effectively ending her modeling career.
In 1929, Lee moved back to Paris, seeking out surrealist visual artist Man Ray. When she saw Man Ray at a bar she went up to him and said: “My name is Lee Miller, and I’m your new student.” Man Ray replied: “I don’t have students.” When he told her he was leaving on holiday the next day, she said: “So am I.” He was so taken by Lee that he gave her a job as his studio assistant. Eventually, their professional relationship led to a romantic one. Man Ray declared Lee his muse.
Together they are credited with creating the "solarization" technique, where the black and white hues are reversed, creating a halo-like effect. According to Lee, the method was discovered when she accidentally turned on the lights while developing a photograph.
Lee's relationship with Man Ray introduced her to a circle of famous artists like Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, and Jean Cocteau. Cocteau captured her in film. Picasso made many paintings and took many photographs of Lee. It is even said that her breasts inspired a French glass company to model champagne glasses after her. It seemed everyone wanted something from Lee.
All the while, Lee’s own career continued to grow. She photographed women for French Vogue, took her own surrealist photographs and took on other lovers. Man Ray grew jealous of Lee’s growing artistic and sexual independence. In 1932, Lee left Man Ray and returned to New York where she opened her own successful studio.
In his heartbreak, Man Ray spent two years painting the work, Observatory Time - The Lovers, an eight foot long, three foot high painting of Lee’s Lips in the sky above the Paris Observatory. He also created a second version of his iconic work “Object to Be Destroyed” named Object of Destruction, a metronome adorned with a picture of an eye at the end of the ticker. To make the connection to Lee more explicit, he replaced the original eye with a photo of Lee’s.
Lee went on to marry Egyptian businessman Aziz Eloui Bey and moved to Cairo. While there, she took one of her most famous photographs, Portrait of Space, a photograph of the Egyptian desert taken through a torn screen. When the couple divorced, Lee returned to Europe, and rekindled her friendship with Man Ray. The two would remain close friends until his death in 1976.
As World War II began, Lee became accredited as a photographer with the American army through Condé Nast Publications.
She was one of a few U.S. army women photographers to see combat.
In 1944, Lee was present for the battle of St. Malo, the chaos of D-Day, the liberation of Paris, and the U.S. military's entry into Nazi concentration camps..
While Lee’s photos showed the devastation of World War II, the most famous photograph of her travels was not taken by Lee but rather of Lee. Following the liberation of Dachau, photographer David E. Scherman took photos of Lee in Adolf Hitler's bathtub, washing away the dirt from the concentration camp. Lee’s son Antony has acknowledged the image was polarizing and told the Telegraph, “I think she was sticking two fingers up at Hitler. On the floor are her boots, covered with the filth of Dachau, which she has trodden all over Hitler’s bathroom floor. She is saying she is the victor.”
Upon returning home from the war, Lee exhibited signs of post-traumatic stress and began drinking heavily. Lee hid all of her photographic work in the attic of her home as a way to bury her traumatic war experiences. In 1947, she married surrealist painter and curator Roland Penrose. Together they had a son, Antony. Lee stepped away from professional photography and retreated deeper into alcohol abuse.
Lee Miller died of cancer in 1977. Her son Antony, unaware of his mother's career, discovered thousands of prints and negatives in the attic. Inspired by his mother’s art, Antony went on to create the Lee Miller Archives, enabling the rediscovery of his mother's work.
All month, we’re talking about muses. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
As always, the show is taking a break for the weekend - but we’ll be back on Monday.
Talk to you then.