An expert’s guide to Lee Miller: five must-read books on the American photographer

Lee Miller photographed in Mougins in 1937 by Roland Penrose © Lee Miller Archives, England 2021. All rights reserved
The American photographer Lee Miller (1907-77) wore many hats. She was a Vogue model and fashion photographer, a Surrealist artist and muse, a photojournalist during the Second World War and much more besides. This autumn, Miller is the subject of several new books, a feature film starring Kate Winslet and an exhibition at the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery curated by Martin Pel. Below, Pel has picked five books that helped him research the show and that give us greater insight into the life and career of Lee Miller.
“An honest and gritty book written by Lee Miller’s son as he goes on a journey of discovery about the secret lives of his mother—most of which he only found out about after her death. Even so, this biography is written with love and insight into this remarkable artist.”
“A full-length biography of Miller. This one is more factual than emotionally driven but gives a clear overview of Miller’s life, and documents her extraordinary achievements as well as her troubled childhood and struggles with alcohol in later life.”
“A romance captured in letters between Miller and artist Roland Penrose, beginning with their meeting in Paris in 1937 and running to 1939 when Miller left her Egyptian husband Aziz Eloui Bey in Cairo and joined Penrose in London at the start of World War Two. These fascinating letters are personal, emotional and revealing and have never been published before. They gave me a greater understanding of what drew Roland and Lee to each other and why their relationship was enduring.”
“This high-quality publication not only features many of the fashion images by Miller that appeared in Vogue but also some of the unpublished images, found within the archive. The negatives and vintage contacts had not been seen since they were first shot and published in the 1940s. This book places Miller at the heart of British wartime fashion and sees her championing not only women but also the fashion industry’s important contribution to the war effort.”
“This wonderful coffee-table and recipe book gives a unique insight into Miller’s final years living as a wife and mother at Farleys Farm in Chiddingly, Sussex. Written by her granddaughter Ami Bouhassane, it includes images of Miller with friends and family who flocked to visit their home. Much has been written about the varied forms of her creativity but Miller’s achievement as a gourmet chef is usually left as an endnote. A quirky account of Miller, focusing on her self-reinvention as a celebrity cook, [it] includes over a hundred fantastically surreal, multi-coloured recipes including the infamous ‘cauliflower breasts’.”
• Lee Miller: Dressed, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, until 18 February 2024

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