Chronology of Lee Miller's Life
| 1907 | Born Poughkeepsie, New York, on 23 April to Frances and Theodore Miller. Brother John born 1905. |
| 1910 | Brother Erik born, Poughkeepsie, New York. |
| 1914 | Sexually molested and infected with VD. |
| 1925 | 30 May, departs for Paris with chaperon to attend L'Ecole Medgyes pour la Technique du Thtre. |
| 1926 | Winter, dragged home by Theodore. |
| 1927 | Discovered by Cond Nast. Portrait of her by George Lepape appears on front cover of Vogue, March 1927. Photographed by Steichen, Genthe, Muray, with numerous appearances in magazines. |
| 1928 | July, image used as Kotex Ad in Vogue and other magazines. |
| 1929 | Departs for Paris, then to Florence and Rome to study art. Returns to Paris, meets Man Ray and becomes his student, model and lover. |
| 1930 | Establishes herself as a photographer in her own right with studio at Rue Victor Considrante.
Erik Miller visits Lee Miller in Paris.
Stars in Jean Cocteau's film "Blood of a Poet".
December, Theodore Miller visits Lee in Paris and they travel to Stockholm. |
| 1931 | Visits London to do stills work at Elstree Studios for 1 July issue of the Bioscope and photographs sports clothes for June issue of Vogue.
Exhibits at Group Annuel des Photographes, Galerie to la Pleiade, Paris.
Meets Aziz Eloui Bey. |
| 1932 | 20 February - 11 March, first exhibition at Julien Levy Gallery, New York
Aziz's wife Nimet commits suicide.
Lee Miller parts from Man Ray and closes her studio, returning to New York in November.
30 December - 25 January, 2nd exhibition at Julien Levy Gallery, Modern European Photography.
On arrival in New York sets up own studio at 8 East 48th street, New York. |
| 1933 | Meets and photographs John Houseman, Virgil Thompson, Joseph Cornell, Gertrude Lawrence and other celebrities; 22 August, Erik Miller marries Mary Frances Rowley, known as Mafy. |
| 1934 | 19 July, marries Aziz Eloui Bey and after a honeymoon at Niagra Falls, leaves to live in Egypt. Erik packs up studio. |
| 1936 | Resumes photographing for pleasure on trips to the desert. |
| 1937 | 4 March, Erik and Mafy Miller arrive in Cairo to work for Aziz Eloui Bey's company, the agency for Carrier air conditioning.
Early summer, goes to Paris and meets Roland Penrose. Travels with him to England and then to Mougins, France to holiday with Man Ray, Picasso, Eileen Agar and the Eluards. |
| 1938 | Meets Roland Penrose in Athens, and travels with him through the Balkans photographing village life in remote areas. Returns via Beirut. |
| 1939 | Roland Penrose visits Lee Miller in Asyut, Egypt, and they travel to Siwa and other oasis villages.
2 June, parts amicably from Aziz Eloui Bey and sails to London. Moves in with Roland Penrose. They travel to the south of France to visit Max Ernst and Lenora Carrington, then return to England on the outbreak of war. |
| 1940 | January, lives with Roland Penrose at 21 Downshire Hill, Hampstead. Joins staff of Vogue. Photographs fashion and scenes from the Blitz, later to be used in Grim Glory; Pictures of Britain under Fire, published in Britain and the United States.
David E. Scherman arrives in England as Life photographer, and moves into Downshire Hill. |
| 1942 | 30 December, becomes accredited as U.S. Forces War Correspondent. Photographs for her book Wrens in Camera. |
| 1944 | First photo-journalism article published on Edward R. Murrow in Vogue, followed by Unarmed Warriors September 1944, St. Malo October 1944.
Teams up with David E. Scherman, publishes further Vogue stories.
The Way Things Are In Paris November 1944
Loire Bridges November 1944
Players in Paris December 1944
Patterns of Liberation January 1945
Brussels - More British than London February 1945
Colette March 1945
Through the Alsace Campaign April 1945
Scales of Justices June 1945
Germany - the war that is won June 1945
Hitleriana July 1945
In Denmark Now July 1945 |
| 1945 | Vienna, covers children dying in hospital. |
| 1946 | Budapest, covers plight of deposed aristocrats, execution of Lazlo Bardossy, rural areas such as Mezokovesd, and celebrities such as Strobol, Szentgyorgi, etc.
On to Bucharest, Romania; photographing King and Queen Mother, gets massaged by a bear, wrecks car near Sibiu.
In the spring returns home via Paris to a heroine's welcome from Vogue staff.
Travels with Roland Penrose to USA.
Photographs Isamu Noguchi in New York.
They travel to Arizona and visit Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning, then to Los Angeles to visit Erik and Mafy Miller (Erik now chief photographer for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation) and Man Ray and Juliette Browner, soon to become wife. Return to England, too Europeanized to comfortably settle in U.S.A. |
| 1947 | Does fashion assignment in St. Mortiz with Peggy Riley (later Rosamond Russell) and discovers she is pregnant. Moves across the street to 36 Downshire Hill.
Aziz Eloui Bey travels to England and divorces Lee Miller.
Lee Miller and Roland Penrose marry on 3 May at Hampstead Registry office.
9 September, gives birth to son Antony and writes on the experience for December 1947 issue of Vogue. |
| 1948 | Covers Venice Beinnale for August Vogue. |
| 1949 | Writes about the Institute of Contemporary Art's exhibition, Forty Thousand Years of Modern Art for January Vogue.
Farley Farm purchased. |
| 1951 | Writes on exhibition covering Picasso's birthday for November issue of Vogue. |
| 1953 | Writes and photographs life at Farley Farm for "Working Guest", July issue of Vogue. |
| 1954 | Photographs for Roland Penrose's book "Picasso, His Life and Work". |
| 1955 | Exhibits in the Family of Man, Museum of Modern Art, New York (and world tour) |
| 1960 | Becomes passionately interested in cooking. |
| 1963 | Goes to Egypt to meet Aziz Eloui Bey. |
| 1966 | Becomes Lady Lee Penrose when Roland is knighted.
Articles about Lee appear in Vogue, Studio International, and House and Garden.
Travels extensively with Roland Penrose to Japan, Spain, etc. |
| 1973 | Photographs Antoni Tapies for Roland Penrose's biography of him. |
| 1976 | July, guest of Lucien Clergue at the Arles Photo Festival, deputizing for Man Ray.
Exhibits in Photographs from the Julien Levy Collection, Art Institute of Chicago.
Diagnosed as having cancer. |
| 1977 | Granddaughter, Amy, born 25 April.
Exhibits in The History of Fashion Photography, organised by the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, Rochester, New York.
Dies Farley Farm, July 21. |