50 rare photos of Marilyn Monroe that show another side to the film star

Erin McDowellJun 1, 2024, 20:53 IST

Marilyn Monroe's first studio portrait after signing with 20th Century Fox in 1947.Earl Theisen/Getty Images

Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe was born 98 years ago, on June 1, 1926.
Some photos of her are so famous they need no explanation, like the iconic shot of her in a white dress.

Marilyn Monroe is one of the most famous and iconic actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Many photographs of the starlet, from her iconic white-dress scene in "The Seven Year Itch" to her glittering performance for John F. Kennedy's birthday, are some of the most recognizable images ever taken.

Rare images of Monroe can also fetch a hefty pricetag — the late pop artist Andy Warhol's 1964 silk-screen portrait of Monroe sold for $195 million at auction in 2022, NBC News reported.

However, these rarely seen family and vintage photos show another side to Marilyn Monroe.

This is the first known studio portrait of Marilyn Monroe.

A studio portrait of Marilyn Monroe at 6 months old, circa 1927.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Her mother, Gladys Baker, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

Gladys Baker and Norma Jeane.Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Here, Norma Jeane Baker is pictured bottom right with her mother and some family friends.

Here, Norma Jeane Baker is pictured bottom right with her mother and some family friends.Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Norma Jeane never knew her father.

Norma Jeane Baker with her mother, Gladys Baker, circa 1929.Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Norma Jeane, pictured here at age 5, lived with various friends and relatives throughout most of her childhood.

Norma Jeane at age 5.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Grace and Doc Goddard were the first of her guardians.

Norma Jeane Baker playing with dogs in a rural garden, circa 1933.Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Throughout her childhood, the star-to-be bounced around from home to home.

Norma Jeane Baker out rowing with a couple of friends, circa 1941.Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Here, Norma Jeane Baker is pictured on a trip to the zoo.

Norma Jeane Baker playing with penguins, circa 1941.Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In 1947, things began to look up for the natural brunette.

Norma Jeane Baker pictured in her natural brunette shade in the 1940s.John Rodgers/Redferns/Getty Images

Aunt Ana exposed both Norma Jeane and her mother to the Christian Science faith. Her mother, however, soon left.

Norma Jeane Baker visits the zoo with a friend and a small child, circa 1943.Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Norma Jeane then began dating a local boy named Jim Dougherty.

Norma Jeane Baker on the beach at Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, circa 1943.Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

They married in 1942. Baker, now Dougherty, was only 16, but marrying helped her avoid going back into the foster care system.

Norma Jeane Baker, now Norma Jeane Dougherty, with her first husband, police officer James Dougherty.Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

Dougherty started using the name Marilyn Monroe around 1946.

Marilyn Monroe reading to a young child circa June 1947.Bettmann/Getty Images

While her husband served overseas in the Marines, Monroe began working in a local factory in Van Nuys, California.

Marilyn Monroe at 21, reading a magazine.Bettmann/Getty Images

By the time her husband returned from the war, her career as a model had started taking off.

Marilyn Monroe modeling in the 1940s.Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

Despite her career success, Monroe's personal life was struggling.

Marilyn Monroe poses for a portrait in 1947.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

After being signed, she dyed her hair a lighter shade of blonde, which soon became her trademark.

Monroe poses for a portrait in 1947 in Los Angeles, California.Earl Theisen/Getty Images

Monroe's first film, "Ladies of the Chorus," was released in 1948.

Marilyn Monroe begins the process of applying her make-up, circa 1948.John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images

She began making public appearances and her stardom continued to rise.

Marilyn Monroe presents Photoplay Magazine's "Dream House" contest winner Virginia McAllister and her son with the key to a new house in June of 1949.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

She began auditioning for more and more productions.

Marilyn Monroe fills out a form before auditioning for a play at the Players Ring Theater on March 12, 1950.Richard C. Miller/Donaldson Collection/Getty Images

"The Asphalt Jungle," released in 1952, was nominated for four Academy Awards.

Marilyn Monroe, wearing a red nightgown trimmed with black lace, sorts her fan mail shortly after her film "The Asphalt Jungle" was released.Slim Aarons/Getty Images

The next few years would culminate in her most iconic films: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "How to Marry a Millionaire," and "The Seven Year Itch."

Monroe sits on the curb to apply her makeup in 1952.John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images

Many of her roles involved playing the "dumb blonde" archetype, and she soon became a "sex symbol."

Marilyn Monroe takes a shower in her 20th Century Fox dressing room on November 8, 1952, in Los Angeles, California.Earl Theisen/Getty Images

She worked with acting coach Natasha Lytess throughout her career, once rehearsing together for 48 hours straight.

Monroe in her dressing room on November 8, 1952, in Los Angeles, California.Earl Theisen/Getty Images

Monroe and Jane Russell starred in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" in 1953.

Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell on the set of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" in 1953.Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Monroe was known for attracting large audiences to her movies.

In a photograph taken July 5, 1953, Marilyn Monroe is helped during a swimsuit fitting.Bettmann/Getty Images

1953's "How to Marry a Millionaire," which also featured Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1953.

Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, and Marilyn Monroe pose for a portrait on the set of "How to Marry a Millionaire" in 1953 in Los Angeles, California.Earl Theisen/Getty Images

Despite becoming an international star, Monroe struggled with performance anxiety related to her acting.

Marilyn Monroe models a red ensemble in 1954.Baron/Getty Images

In 1954, Monroe married baseball player Joe DiMaggio at San Francisco City Hall.

Marilyn Monroe serves up lunch in a mess line during her February 1954 trip to visit American soldiers stationed in Korea.Bettmann/Getty Images

She also spent time talking with the servicemen and eating in the Mess Hall.

Marilyn Monroe in the Enlisted Men's Mess Hall at Headquarters Company, 2nd Infantry Division, near Seoul, South Korea, during her tour in 1954.Bettmann/Getty Images

Monroe shot her famous skirt-flying scene on the set of "The Seven Year Itch," on October 15, 1954.

Marilyn Monroe on the set of "The Seven Year Itch" on October 15, 1954.Bettmann/Getty Images

But it was reported that DiMaggio didn't like the iconic moment.

Marilyn Monroe is seen in a candid moment on the street in March 1955 in New York City, New York.Ed Feingersh/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Throughout 1955, Monroe attended the Actors Studio in New York City, hoping to hone her craft.

Marilyn Monroe takes the subway from Grand Central Station on March 24, 1955, in New York City, New York.Ed Feingersh/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

In April 1955, Monroe appeared on "Person to Person" to discuss her career and the parts she truly longed to play.

Marilyn Monroe reads the book "To the Actor: On the Technique of Acting" by Michael Chekhov at the Ambassador Hotel in March 1955 in New York City.Ed Feingersh/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The Ambassador Hotel, where Marilyn shot this intimate series of photos in 1955, no longer exists in Manhattan.

Marilyn Monroe wears an embroidered robe that reads "The Ambassador" on March 24, 1955, at the Ambassador Hotel in New York City.Ed Feingersh/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

While living in New York, Monroe worked with director Lee Strasberg.

Marilyn Monroe gets help dressing from Judy Goetz in her hotel room on March 24, 1955, at the Ambassador Hotel in New York City, New York.Ed Feingersh/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Around this time, in 1955, Monroe took up a relationship with famed American playwright Arthur Miller.

Marilyn Monroe gets ready to go see the play "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" in her hotel room on March 24, 1955, at the Ambassador Hotel in New York City, New York.Ed Feingersh/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

On June 29, 1956, Monroe and Miller married.

Marilyn Monroe signing autographs for children upon her arrival at Idlewild Airport from the coast on June 2, 1956.Bettmann/Getty Images

The newlyweds stayed at Miller's summer home in Roxbury, Connecticut.

Marilyn Monroe waves as she and her husband, American playwright Arthur Miller, go for a drive in Miller's convertible car, Roxbury, Connecticut, July 7, 1956.Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images

The honeymoon phase was short and sweet for Miller and Monroe.

Marilyn Monroe playing softball in a bathing suit on a beach.Mondadori/Getty Images

"This is the first time I've been really in love," Monroe said about Miller.

Marilyn Monroe gazes at her husband, Arthur Miller, as they dance at an April in Paris Ball held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on April 11, 1957.Peter Stackpole/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

The couple soon traveled to London so that Monroe could begin working on "The Prince and the Showgirl" with Laurence Olivier.

Monroe and Miller (right), along with Monroe's close friend, American photographer Milton Greene, stop for hot dogs in New York City on their way to Connecticut.Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

Throughout their marriage, Monroe reportedly struggled to conceive a child and suffered multiple miscarriages.

American financier Winthrop Aldridge listens to Marilyn Monroe as she whispers to him at a table during the April in Paris Ball at the Waldorf Astoria, New York.Peter Stackpole/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

For a time afterward, however, the couple enjoyed their marriage. Monroe stepped away from the spotlight, choosing instead to focus on her home life and getting pregnant.

Marilyn Monroe attends a party held in her honor wearing a black dress and white gloves at the Beverly Hills Hotel on July 8, 1958, in Beverly Hills, California.Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

For a time afterward, however, the couple enjoyed their marriage. Monroe stepped away from the spotlight, choosing instead to focus on her home life and getting pregnant.

Monroe began filming "Some Like it Hot" in 1959.

Marilyn Monroe peeps out from behind a curtain of a train sleeping quarter on the set of the 1959 film "Some Like it Hot."Popperfoto/Getty Images

In 1960, Monroe reportedly had an affair with Yves Montand while working on "Let's Make Love."

Actors Yves Montand, Marilyn Monroe, and Gene Kelly laugh while having a coffee break on the set of director George Cukor's film, "Let's Make Love" in 1960.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Trouble continued to brew between Miller and Monroe on the set of "The Misfits," a film based off a short story written by Miller that was intended to take Monroe from blonde bombshell to serious film actress.

Marilyn Monroe and screenwriter Arthur Miller on the set of the film "The Misfits."United Artists/Getty Images

Trouble continued to brew between Miller and Monroe on the set of "The Misfits," a film based off a short story written by Miller that was intended to take Monroe from blonde bombshell to serious film actress.

"The Misfits" would become Monroe's final film.

Monroe cuddles up to a small dog during the shooting of "The Misfits" in the Nevada Desert, 1960.Ernst Haas/Getty Images

Beneath the glitz and glamour, Marilyn Monroe led a difficult life marked by personal crises.

Marilyn Monroe posing on a farm in the 1950s.Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

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50 rare photos of Marilyn Monroe that show another side to the film star

This is the first known studio portrait of Marilyn Monroe.

Her mother, Gladys Baker, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

Here, Norma Jeane Baker is pictured bottom right with her mother and some family friends.

Norma Jeane never knew her father.

Norma Jeane, pictured here at age 5, lived with various friends and relatives throughout most of her childhood.

Grace and Doc Goddard were the first of her guardians.

Throughout her childhood, the star-to-be bounced around from home to home.

Here, Norma Jeane Baker is pictured on a trip to the zoo.

In 1947, things began to look up for the natural brunette.

Aunt Ana exposed both Norma Jeane and her mother to the Christian Science faith. Her mother, however, soon left.

Norma Jeane then began dating a local boy named Jim Dougherty.

They married in 1942. Baker, now Dougherty, was only 16, but marrying helped her avoid going back into the foster care system.

Dougherty started using the name Marilyn Monroe around 1946.

While her husband served overseas in the Marines, Monroe began working in a local factory in Van Nuys, California.

By the time her husband returned from the war, her career as a model had started taking off.

Despite her career success, Monroe's personal life was struggling.

After being signed, she dyed her hair a lighter shade of blonde, which soon became her trademark.

Monroe's first film, "Ladies of the Chorus," was released in 1948.

She began making public appearances and her stardom continued to rise.

She began auditioning for more and more productions.

"The Asphalt Jungle," released in 1952, was nominated for four Academy Awards.

The next few years would culminate in her most iconic films: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "How to Marry a Millionaire," and "The Seven Year Itch."

Many of her roles involved playing the "dumb blonde" archetype, and she soon became a "sex symbol."

She worked with acting coach Natasha Lytess throughout her career, once rehearsing together for 48 hours straight.

Monroe and Jane Russell starred in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" in 1953.

Monroe was known for attracting large audiences to her movies.

1953's "How to Marry a Millionaire," which also featured Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1953.

Despite becoming an international star, Monroe struggled with performance anxiety related to her acting.

In 1954, Monroe married baseball player Joe DiMaggio at San Francisco City Hall.

She also spent time talking with the servicemen and eating in the Mess Hall.

Monroe shot her famous skirt-flying scene on the set of "The Seven Year Itch," on October 15, 1954.

But it was reported that DiMaggio didn't like the iconic moment.

Throughout 1955, Monroe attended the Actors Studio in New York City, hoping to hone her craft.

In April 1955, Monroe appeared on "Person to Person" to discuss her career and the parts she truly longed to play.

The Ambassador Hotel, where Marilyn shot this intimate series of photos in 1955, no longer exists in Manhattan.

While living in New York, Monroe worked with director Lee Strasberg.

Around this time, in 1955, Monroe took up a relationship with famed American playwright Arthur Miller.

On June 29, 1956, Monroe and Miller married.

The newlyweds stayed at Miller's summer home in Roxbury, Connecticut.

The honeymoon phase was short and sweet for Miller and Monroe.

"This is the first time I've been really in love," Monroe said about Miller.

The couple soon traveled to London so that Monroe could begin working on "The Prince and the Showgirl" with Laurence Olivier.

Throughout their marriage, Monroe reportedly struggled to conceive a child and suffered multiple miscarriages.

Other problems marred the young actress' marriage. While on location in London, she discovered a notebook in which Miller claimed he had misgivings about marrying her.

For a time afterward, however, the couple enjoyed their marriage. Monroe stepped away from the spotlight, choosing instead to focus on her home life and getting pregnant.

Monroe began filming "Some Like it Hot" in 1959.

In 1960, Monroe reportedly had an affair with Yves Montand while working on "Let's Make Love."

Trouble continued to brew between Miller and Monroe on the set of "The Misfits," a film based off a short story written by Miller that was intended to take Monroe from blonde bombshell to serious film actress.

"The Misfits" would become Monroe's final film.

Beneath the glitz and glamour, Marilyn Monroe led a difficult life marked by personal crises.