Summary

In Chapter 3, “Photography in Fashionable New York, 1932-1934,” Penrose describes Lee’s experiences opening a studio in New York after “the Wall Street Crash of 1929” (39). Her influential friendships helped her launch the business. Erik moved to New York and ran Lee Miller Studios with her and Penrose includes his writings about the era on the page. The siblings specialized in portraiture, but “photography barely earned consideration as an art form” at the time (42). To support themselves, Lee and Erik took advertising jobs with Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair. Meanwhile, they photographed clients including John Houseman, Helena Rubinstein, and Joseph Cornell. In her journals, Lee describes her experience photographing men versus women and portraits versus ads.

The studio was doing well despite the Depression. Meanwhile, Erik and Mafy married and permanently settled in the city. Then in 1934, Aziz visited New York. Erik...