Lee Miller: The Second World War Through Her Eyes 

From model to war correspondent and photographer, Elizabeth ‘Lee’ Miller’s contribution to the reporting and documenting of the Second World War should be widely recognised as a significant part of British History. As a trailblazing, feminist photojournalist, Miller captured the daily horrors of civilians during and after the war, from occupied countries to the London Blitz, often with a Surrealist touch by utilising unsettling elements and fragmentation. Miller’s background in Surrealism began in the 1930s, as both a model and photographer alongside mentor Man Ray in Paris, showing her versatility as a photographer, but Surrealist influences can be seen throughout her war photography too. She ventured to places forgotten about post-war, such as Hungary and Vienna, and notably, was one of the first journalists to document the liberated concentration camps Buchenwald and Dachau. Miller did not hold back in capturing the most horrendously affected places, to make known the devastating impact on human life that the war had left behind. Her work was instrumental in paving the way for other female photojournalists and in shaping how conflict is reported.

Miller began working for British Vogue in 1940, contributing images surrounding women’s safety and styling during the war, utilising her previous experience as a model. Electricity was often cut off in the studio due to the Blitz, and therefore Miller took to the streets or her home to photograph everyday, civilian life. In the image ‘Fire Masks’, set up in Miller and her husband Roland Penrose’s back garden, the two models, with perfectly styled hair and fashionable outfits, would have encouraged women to engage in and be informed about the war effort, as they could see images of other women getting involved, showing that they too can be a vital contribution to the homefront.

Miller’s first assignment for Vogue as a war correspondent was just a few weeks after the D-Day landings, which marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War. She became one of the only women to document the front-line war in Europe. This is significant as she challenged discourses around war photography as a male-dominated field, allowing a woman to tell stories from conflict that do not focus simply on male soldiers.‘The Washing Station in the Nurse’s Quarters at 44th Evacuation Hospital’ reveals the comradeship of the women stationed in hospitals such as this, rolling up their sleeves and just getting on with it. Miller’s photographs of this time illustrate the stark contrast to her early glamour work, showing her ability to react to her surroundings and take photos with humanity. She places importance on documenting women’s roles in the war, ensuring their contribution and stories are not lost to history.  

Due to Miller’s ability to make connections and be empathetic during extremely vulnerable situations, she was able to gently capture images like ‘Woman Accused of Collaborating with the Germans’. After the liberation of France, the French government and also civilians began to punish those believed to have supported the Nazi occupation. Women were often targeted by the Nazis for information, so gendered retribution resulted in women having their heads shaved and being paraded around their town in a very public act of humiliation, masking the hidden contradictions of war. Over 20,000 women are known to have had their heads shaved for crimes punished with little to no evidence. Miller’s experience of being a survivor of sexual abuse as a child also enabled her to quietly connect with other victims of gender-based violence, when society turned its back on them.

Perhaps the most impactful of Lee Miller’s war correspondence is her photojournalism of the liberated concentration camps Dachau and Buchenwald. The scenes journalists saw were often so horrific they struggled to articulate this to the public, therefore photographs became a vital source of historical documentation but more importantly at the time, brought the Nazi atrocities to the public eye. Utilising her Surrealist background, she was able to use the technique of fragmentation to break down scenes of destruction into more digestible photos for the reader. ‘Entrance to Concentration Camp Buchenwald’, taken from within the gates of Buchenwald, reflects the transition from captivity to freedom, from dark to light, from the eyes of those who remained in captivity. Much of the public refused to believe that such horrors had occurred on such a mass, organised scale, therefore when American Vogue printed these images, after British Vogue had refused, the title ‘BELIEVE IT’ was used, expressing Miller’s commitment to truth.  

The afternoon after Miller and Scherman had witnessed the devastation at Dachau, they were billeted to Hitler’s apartment, now taken over by the US army. Taking a leisurely, overdue bath, the scene was set with Hitler’s portrait in the corner and the mud and dust of Dachau trodden over the pristine white bath mat. Later that same day, Hitler and his wife took their own lives in their bunker below the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. From that moment, the image took on a new meaning, becoming a visual metaphor for the end of the war. Whilst this photo is not representative of her portfolio of investigative and horror-filled photographs, it does speak to Miller’s defiant attitude, showing that she and the allies are the victors over hate.  

Lee Miller’s photojournalism in the Second World War is one of utmost bravery in committing to bear witness to unimaginable horrors and the power of art and journalism to expose and remember atrocities otherwise forgotten. Miller remains an inspiration to generations of female photographers, merging art with journalism in a way that few others had done before. Overcoming continuous sexism and defying conventions, Miller established herself as a relentless force for pursuing the truth, capturing horrific cruelty and the seemingly mundane of everyday life during the war. She challenged perceptions of what is worth looking at and documenting, bringing to light women’s stories and contributions and of those who were powerless to tell their stories alone.  

The photographic works mentioned in the piece can be found as part of the Lee Miller Archives.

Words by Megan Shaw