Remington Silent, London, England
- Artist: Lee Miller
- Date: 1940, printed 1989
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 265 × 254 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Remington Silent, London, England” by Lee Miller. It was taken in 1940, a year that saw Britain at war, and printed decades later in 1989. Miller, a trailblazing photographer and a key figure in the Surrealist circle, used the gelatin‑silver process to give the image its stark, high‑contrast look. The frame is a modest 434 × 536 mm, but the image itself is a close‑up portrait—capturing a lone figure, perhaps a worker or a soldier, holding a quiet, introspective pose amid the bustle of London streets. The monochrome tone emphasizes texture and form, while the faint light filtering through the edges hints at the city’s dimming sky. The photograph shows Miller’s keen eye for composition and her willingness to work outside the conventions of her time. It also reminds us that even in the darkest hours, the human presence endures with quiet dignity. This work was added to the collection in 2022 with support from the Photography Acquisitions Committee and the Tate Americas Foundation. It is displayed as part of a broader retrospective that is touring from London to Paris to Chicago, inviting viewers to consider the lasting impact of Miller’s vision on contemporary photography.
See it in person
Remington Silent, London, England is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
