Elizabeth 'Lee' Miller, Lady Penrose (23 April 1907 - 21 July 1977) was an American photographer. Born in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1907, she was a successful fashion model in New York City in the 1920s before going to Paris where she became an established fashion and fine art photographer. During World War II, she became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine, covering events such as the London Blitz, the liberation of Paris, and the concentration camps at Buchenwald and Dachau.
Early life
Elizabeth Miller was born on April 23, 1907 in Poughkeepsie, New York. Her parents were Theodore and Florence Miller (née MacDonald). Her father was of German descent, and her mother a Canadian of Scottish and Irish descent. She had a younger brother named Erik, and older brother named John. Theodore always favored Elizabeth, and he often used her as a model for his amateur photography. When Elizabeth was seven years old, she was raped while staying with a family friend in Brooklyn. Soon after, it was realized that Elizabeth had contracted gonorrhea. [Carolyn Burke. Lee Miller: A life. Alfred A. Knopf, 2005]
Death
Miller died from cancer at Farley Farm House in Chiddingly, Sussex in 1977, aged 70. She was cremated, and her ashes spread through her herb garden at Farley Farm House.