Photographer Francis Miller shooting presidential beagles on White House lawn. (Photo by Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)

Photographer Francis Miller shooting presidential beagles on White House lawn. (Photo by Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)

James Bond could not have concealed a camera with more finesse. Francis Miller (1905-1973) hid them in cigarette cases, camouflaged them with neckties and carved out the pages of a copy of The Best Known Novels of George Eliot to encase his lens. His agility with a surreptitious camera was so well-known, a colleague once blew his cover by yelling to him. “Hey, Miller. where you got the camera hid this time?”

Adapted from The Great LIFE Photographers

Orphaned brothers watching a TV set for the first time. (Photo by Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)

Orphaned brothers watching a TV set for the first time. (Photo by Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)

Model demonstrating the Aqua Bobber. (Photo by Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)

Model demonstrating the Aqua Bobber. (Photo by Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)

The watermelon stripe baby Tapir stretching out beside the older family member at the Brookfield zoo.(Photo by Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)

The watermelon stripe baby Tapir stretching out beside the older family member at the Brookfield zoo.(Photo by Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)

More Like This

Leopard about to kill a terrified baboon. (Photo by John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation) Photographer

John Dominis

Sisters playing music together. (Photo by Eric Schaal/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation) Photographer

Eric Schaal

LIFE photographer Philippe Halsman poised w. camera in serious portrait. (Photo by Yale Joel/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation) Photographer

Philippe Halsman

Inside a cell at the notorious Breendonk Nazi prison camp, a former Flemish SS guard is imprisoned after overthrow of German forces. (Photo by George Rodger/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation) Photographer

George Rodger

Balinese farmer herding his flock of ducks through a field. (Photo by Co Rentmeester/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation) Photographer

Co Rentmeester

Writer Niven Busch lying on sofa with newspaper over his face as he takes nap from screenwriting. (Photo by Paul Dorsey/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation) Photographer

Paul Dorsey