History's Disappearing Woman
History's Disappearing Woman
Elizabeth "Lee" Miller's incredible life has been covered in the 2024 film Lee, detailing her rise from a fashion model to one of the most important photographers of the 20th century. Elizabeth Miller's ability to capture some of history's most pivotal moments in the 20th century, most famously during the Second World War, set her apart as one of the greatest of the era. But where did Lee Miller begin? Let's examine the incredible life and work of one of history's most pivotal photographers.
A Star Is Born
Elizabeth Miller was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on April 23, 1907, to Theodore and Florence Miller. She had a brother, Johnny Miller—the first person to make a transcontinental flight in the United States on a rotorcraft.
U.S. Army Official Photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
An Appalling Crime
Elizabeth Miller's early life can be characterized as turbulent. Miller was frequently asked by her father, Theodore, to pose without clothing. And, at the age of just seven years old, she was the victim of an assault by an unknown assailant, which left Miller with gonorrhea.
The Aftermath
In the immediate aftermath of that assault, Miller had to be given twice-daily doses of potassium permanganate while her body was painted with picric acid every two weeks. Everything she had touched at her home was immediately sterilized. Heartbreakingly, seven-year-old Miller was treated terribly for something that was not her fault.
School Troubles
Despite becoming a student of photography later in life, Miller was expelled from almost every school she attended in New York, before she moved to Paris at the age of 18.
