Lee Miller: Dressed at Brighton Museum
This October a new exhibition opens at Brighton Museum which will explore the extraordinary life of Lee Miller – Vogue model turned photojournalist – through her personal collection of clothing. The wardrobe will be seen alongside her photography and brings a unique perspective to the stories of her life.
by spectrum

“The chance discovery of the trunks of Lee Miller’s clothes at her home in Sussex is extraordinary – and revelatory. Clothes are so personal that to be able to tell the story of one of the most incredible people of the twentieth century through her clothing alongside her work is really a dream project.”
- Martin Pel, Curator
Lee Miller: Dressed at Brighton Museum
Photographer, surrealist, model, war correspondent, writer, traveller, and cook – Lee Miller lived her many lives with passion and audacity, each one celebrated and reflected in her dress and style. The exhibition includes outfits that represent key moments in her biography and her creativity – a unique experience for visitors as very few of these intimate items have ever been seen in public.
“A significant amount of the clothes in this exhibition have not been seen before. We only discovered them just before Covid-19 and have been working on the conservation and documentation of them since then. Martin Pel’s vision for including them in an exhibition to give another dimension to Lee’s work is exciting.”
- Ami Bouhassane, granddaughter of Lee Miller and director of the Lee Miller Archives
From the runaways of Paris and New York to the deserts of Egypt, and the European frontlines of World War II, the show focuses on seven places and times in Lee’s life. Her fashion photography and the arts under conflict in wartime London, and documenting history and the trauma of World War II. The exhibition concludes with Miller’s life as a gourmand and host at Farleys, Sussex.
Further Information
The exhibition opens at Brighton Museum on Saturday 14 October 2023 and runs until Sunday 18 February 2024.
For more info on tickets and accompanying events check out their website.
For a little more insight into Miller’s archive, you can watch our conversation with Ami Bouhassane – trustee of the Lee Miller Archives – right here.
Read our previous blog: Lee Miller, A Life with Food, Friends & Recipes – right here.