Wrens In Camera
Opting to stay in the UK rather than return home to America in at the outbreak of World War II, Miller was commissioned by the Admiralty to document the lives of women on the home front. Wrens in Camera collects these images, and through its pages we step into the everyday lives of members of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (Wrens).
Miller broke barriers as one of the few female war correspondents of her time, in 1944 joining the liberating forces in Europe. “Her images of nurses working on the front line, concentration camp prostitutes, and lone women refugees with their children, are vital records of war her male colleagues didn’t or wouldn’t seek out.” - Aperture
Her work is significant in the history of photography not only for its artistic quality but also for its contribution to the documentation of women’s history. Miller’s photographs provide a vital counter-narrative to the predominantly male perspective of war photography, highlighting the indispensable roles women played during the war.
Resources
The official Lee Miller Archives including Farley House.
Exhibition walking tour from TJ Boulting (Nov 23-Jan 24): Fitzrovia walking tour map.