The Bodleian Libraries announced the acquisition of the ‘Miller (Lee Miller see their PAN listing) – Beaton scrapbook last week – the photo album features previously unseen works by two of the most celebrated photographers of the 20th century, Lee Miller and Sir Cecil Beaton.
They say: ‘The photobook spans 1943-1949 and has never been publicly displayed before. A time capsule of the final years of the Second World War, it captures the glamour and darkness of this transitional period. Among the pivotal moments in Miller and Beaton’s war photography are the German army’s surrender to the USA and the liberation of Dachau and Buchenwald. The photobook features an arresting image of two captured and beaten SS officers, and surreal scenes from the North African desert frontier.’
This acquisition comes soon after the extensive retrospective of Miller’s work at the Tate Britain and offers important new insights into her life and work – including many previously unpublished prints. Among them is an alternate image of David E. Scherman’s iconic photograph of Miller in Hitler’s bathtub.