Lee Miller in Fashion

Though many readers may know Miller’s name because of her connection to 20th-century artists—Picasso, Man Ray (also her lover), and Paul Éluard—her own photography created a new standard for fashion photography and journalism, according to Yale University historian Conekin (The Autobiography of a Nation: The 1951 Festival of Britain). Conekin’s book is the first to study Miller’s modeling and photographic work in relation to her biography, and comes during a resurgence in interest in Miller, especially in her work for Vogue. Miller began working as a model in New York in the 1920s, but soon took up photography and moved abroad. Conekin does an excellent job of capturing Miller’s efforts as a WWII correspondent for British Vogue, seen, for example, in an image of U.S. servicewomen in uniform joyfully fingering the fabric of a dress at a fashion show in Paris. Miller added writing to her output during this period, her voice redefining the kind of journalism that would be acceptable in a fashion magazine. Miller seemed to disappear from view after the 1950s, and Conekin acknowledges that the explanation remains elusive: “We can never know for sure whether it was Miller’s postwar domestic life or her wartime experiences…that made her turn her back on photography and her always fraught writing career.” This book is essential to understanding Miller, as well as reclaiming her artistic legacy. 150 illus. Agent: Sarah Chalfant, the Wylie Agency. (Oct.)