Lee Miller in Hitler’s Bathtub
Lee Miller, covering WWII for Vogue teamed up with the American photographer David E. Scherman, a Life magazine correspondent on many assignments. The above photograph by Scherman of Miller in the bathtub of Adolf Hitler’s house in Munich is one of the most iconic images from the Miller-Scherman partnership. The New York Times had this to say: “A picture of the Führer balances on the lip of the tub; a classical statue of a woman sits opposite it on a dressing table; Lee, in the tub, inscrutable as ever, scrubs her shoulder. A woman caught between horror and beauty, between being seen and being the seer.”
The night after Miller visited Dachau, on April 30, 1945–earlier that day Hitler committed suicide in Berlin–Miller and Scherman entered Munich with the American 45th Division that was liberating the city. They happened upon a dilapidated and normal-looking apartment building on Prinzenregentplatz 27, and realized, upon entering, that it was Hitler’s Munich apartment. They billeted there for three days. Miller wrote to her Vogue editor Audrey Winters:
“I was living in Hitler’s private apartment when his death was announced, midnight of Mayday. . . Well, alright, he was dead. He’d been an evil-machine-monster all these years, until I visited the places he made famous, talked to people who knew him, dug into backstairs gossip and ate and slept in his house. He became less fabulous and therefore more terrible, along with a little evidence of his having some almost human habits; like an ape who embarrasses and humbles you with his gestures, mirroring yourself in caricature.”
When the photo came out, it was considered an extremely poor judgement. For some, Miller posing nude in the tub of one of the most repulsive men in history was nothing more than a ill-timed reflection of the adage, “To the victor goes the spoils”. For others, it represents the power of life over death, “The living do what they can and the dead suffer what they must”. Lee Miller herself shied away from the controversies but reprouding the image very rarely and noted that she was merely trying to wash the odors of Dachau away.
As much as I adore your blog, I have to make a note – saying that an American division was ‘liberating’ Munich (or any other German city) in 1945 is, frankly, totally absurd.
Shot
January 14, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I am the rights manager of the Lee Miller Archives. It has been brought to my attention that the image above have been illegally used on your website.
Although we appreciate your enthusiasm and interest in Lee Miller’s work displaying her work with no credit line, at this size and no permission contravenes the copyright law. We require you to remove the image from your website immediately.
You should note you are also forbidden to store these images on an electronic retrieval system, or use them in any way in connection with any other public purpose.
I look forward to receiving your reply by return.
Kerry Negahban
February 2, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Are you representing Lee Miller, or the photographer who made this photo?
Fail.
Vinnie Piatek
May 1, 2010 at 4:27 am
Does she pose in this photo? Because if she does, it’s not a good one. I like the black and white color though.
estetica
May 27, 2010 at 7:45 am
I’m writing an article about Lee Miller and I was just wondering if any one knew anything about the missing negative from this series. Spencer Anthony has made a large-scale print for his work “It cries itself to sleep”. I haven’t seen it myself. It is supposed to show Miller undressed setting up the situation. Does anyone know where I can find an example of it or more information?
Nys.eitn@hotmail.com
July 19, 2011 at 11:38 am
un grand amour
Jesse
August 5, 2011 at 4:34 pm
[...] Lee Miller taking a bath in Hitler’s bathroom. [...]
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Lee Miller and her work’s caretakers, seeing sideways through a camera, through presentation | Tailfeather
August 17, 2011 at 4:35 pm
[...] correspondent. I based the idea on Lee Miller who was famously photographed in Hitler’s bath by David Scherman – a tie in with my Homage to Corday. Paolo Ganzi shooting [...]
Correspondent « Richmondox's Blog
January 6, 2012 at 11:34 am
Reblogged this on .
Jesse
February 5, 2012 at 7:50 pm