A week ago, I visited Tate Britain to see the Lee Miller exhibition. The exhibition follows her career from sought-after fashion model, to fashion photographer, and then war photographer and correspondent.
There are over 250 prints to see, both vintage and modern, many of them quite small but beautifully detailed. You will need to get very close to the smaller prints to appreciate them fully, and if you need to wear reading glasses be sure to take them; some of the prints are just a few inches square. There is also a wealth of background information displayed with many of the prints. Overall, the exhibition was quite a revelation; I had never realised that she had been a model as well as a photographer. Her British Vogue fashion shoots, behind the camera, are stunning!
As far as exhibition logistics are concerned, I would recommend visiting on the first time slot of the day, if you can, so that the exhibition has as few visitors as possible already in attendance. For the smaller prints there is only room for one person at a time to look at them and to read the information panel. When I went, there were queues and bottlenecks at many of the prints, rather spoiling the overall experience. Allow at least 90 minutes.
Nevertheless, a must-see exhibition. It runs until 15 February 2026.
(Credit: Lee Miller Archives, England 2025. All rights reserved. leemiller.co.uk)
Mike Hawkridge Photography 