{"id":2046666,"date":"2025-09-24T15:47:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T15:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2046666"},"modified":"2025-09-24T15:47:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T15:47:15","slug":"marilyn-monroe-photos-revealed-for-first-time-very-young-sweet-and-much-more-innocent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/marilyn-monroe-photos-revealed-for-first-time-very-young-sweet-and-much-more-innocent\/","title":{"rendered":"Marilyn Monroe photos revealed for first time: ‘Very young, sweet and much more innocent’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Six decades after her tragically early death, Marilyn Monroe remains America\u2019s undefeated bombshell \u2014\u00a0and one of our most enduring enigmas. <\/p>\n

Was the celebrated starlet fragile and love-starved \u2014\u00a0or tough and self-assured? In love with love \u2014 or happy with her many lovers?<\/p>\n

Now, a new book filled with never-before-seen photos and letters seeks to answer some of the many unanswered questions about her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs<\/a>\u201d was compiled from the archive of photographer Sam Shaw, who befriended her in the early 1950s, just as her star was rising \u2014\u00a0the two shared a rare closeness that allowed him near-unfettered access to her famed life. <\/p>\n

Through Monroe\u2019s ups and downs, their friendship endured, and the shutterbug became her close confidant.<\/p>\n

Thanks to his granddaughter, Melissa Shaw, the world finally has a chance to take a more intimate look at the way her grandfather saw Marilyn, through his eyes and lens. <\/p>\n

Monroe had many sides \u2014\u00a0and Sam lets us see them all.<\/p>\n

Goofball Marilyn<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s another chance to see what Melissa Shaw referred to as \u201cthe joy of Marilyn\u201d \u2014 captured at the Monroe-Miller home in Connecticut\u2019s Litchfield County. <\/p>\n

Monroe goofed around with the photographer all day in the backyard, and the series of images from that shoot showcases the different aspects of her personality, from contemplative to sex kitten, in a simple blue dress, shot in color or B&W; Arthur Miller even makes a cameo or two.<\/p>\n

So much is made, said Melissa, of her \u201csearch for herself, but there was also that natural, innate, born-with-it joy and interest in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iconic Marilyn<\/strong> <\/h2>\n
Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The idea of shooting Marilyn in the near-wardrobe malfunction made famous in \u201cThe Seven Year Itch\u201d was Sam\u2019s, Melissa told The Post. <\/p>\n

Sam had been hired by the producer to shoot what was known as key images \u2014\u00a0stills and snapshots that would be used to hype the film. Earlier, Sam had captured a similar image at Coney Island, which had become a sellout cover on Friday magazine.<\/p>\n

He suggested staging this scene the same way after reading a line in the film script \u2014 \u201cDo you feel the breeze from the subway? Isn\u2019t it delicious?\u201d<\/p>\n

This image is of the original, New York shoot, but the crowd here caused too much hubbub to use that footage in the final movie, so the familiar scene\u2019s actually a reshoot on a closed soundstage in LA.<\/p>\n

Queen-of-the-world Marilyn<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Riding high on her \u201cSeven Year Itch\u201d success, Monroe tore up her 20th Century Fox contract, turned her back on Hollywood for New York and started her own production company.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the height of her superstardom, she wanted more artistic control over the roles she was playing,\u201d said Melissa.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople holding power at this time were quite universally men, and Sam describes her so many times as a tough street fighter with a will of iron.\u201d <\/p>\n

Nothing sums up Marilyn\u2019s swagger better than this snap, taken at the home she was sharing with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, in Roxbury, Connecticut \u2014 beautiful, but unbowed.<\/p>\n

Method Marilyn<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marilyn was a method acting devotee, and wanted to shoot this bathtub scene from \u201cThe Seven Year Itch\u201d that way: stark naked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what she called \u2018actors\u2019 truth,\u2019 playing the scene as authentically as possible regardless of what the script said,\u201d Melissa explained.<\/p>\n

The book\u2019s photos show that she conceded to prudish norms, wearing nude panties and a top. Marilyn spent plenty of downtime in the bath, too, she added, a pioneering fan of the current celeb fad for cold plunges.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe took baths filled with ice cubes because she thought it kept her body firm,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Candid Marilyn<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Never seen before, this was shot on NYC\u2019s streets during the shoot for \u201cThe Seven Year Itch.\u201d <\/em>Melissa points out the difference in Monroe\u2019s smile here.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot the big, wide, open-mouthed smile she perfected for the paparazzi,\u201d she said, \u201cIt\u2019s more intimate, kind and sweet. We love this photo.\u201d <\/p>\n

The blurred background makes it seem even more ad hoc, more like an out-take moment where the actress can be herself \u2014\u00a0before slipping back into bombshell character on set.<\/p>\n

BFF Marilyn<\/strong> <\/h2>\n
Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This candid shot of Melissa\u2019s grandfather in a loving clinch with Monroe epitomizes their bond.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see the affection and intimacy here \u2014 he was a mentor-like figure to her,\u201d said Melissa. \u201cIt\u2019s the best representation of their relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was taken on the \u201cSeven Year Itch\u201d set, she believes, because Sam wanted to impress his kids. It\u2019s also one that Melissa cherishes for the sunniness that oozes from Monroe in the image.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of her being a victim, it highlights her joy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Smartypants Marilyn<\/strong> <\/h2>\n
Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cShe makes him look good, doesn\u2019t she?\u201d Melissa laughed at this indelible image, which turns Arthur Miller into a gruff sex symbol in his own right.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sam spent a day prowling the streets of New York with the famed couple as part of the promo for \u201cThe Prince and the Showgirl,\u201d the first film from Marilyn\u2019s new production shingle, to appear in Life magazine.<\/p>\n

\u201cSam\u2019s point of view repositions Marilyn to be her equal,\u201c Melissa said. \u201cMaybe she wasn\u2019t an intellectual in the way he was, but I don\u2019t know if she was trying to be. She was very well read.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later that same day, as the rain closed in while the couple walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, Miller called his friend, writer Norman Rosten, to give them shelter nearby \u2014 creating an enduring friendship between Rosten and Monroe that lasted until her death.<\/p>\n

Behind-the-scenes Marilyn<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This candid silhouette shot snaps Marilyn at a major moment \u2014\u00a0working with Richard Avedon, fashion\u2019s primo photographer. Sam was a fan of his former NYC high school classmate, calling him \u201cthe greatest,\u201d said Melissa.<\/p>\n

This image comes from a session just one day before her iconic subway grate shoot took place.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s doing the open-mouthed Marilyn look there, but she looks very young, sweet and much more innocent here,\u201d Melissa said.<\/p>\n

For Marilyn, the team up with Avedon would pay off tenfold \u2014 he\u2019d help her land her dream gig, the cover of Harper\u2019s Bazaar, <\/em>barely a year later.<\/p>\n

Marilyn\u2019s man<\/strong> <\/h2>\n
Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sam Shaw rarely stepped in front of the camera to pose, so this is a rare image. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exactly what Sam looked like when he met Marilyn, with his old film camera and some kind of ID hanging off his trench coat,\u201d Melissa said. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was one of those people who became an artist because there was no other choice. Some people do, and Marilyn fit that as well, so when they found each other, they connected on that level.\u201d<\/p>\n

This letter that Sam Shaw wrote to his friend and film star Marilyn Monroe is among the many images being seen for the first time in the new book. Shaw Family Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A new book, \u201cDear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs,\u201d shows never-before-seen sides of the Hollywood icon. ACC Art Books<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cDear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs\u201d (ACC Art Books, $65) is out now.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Six decades after her tragically early death, Marilyn Monroe remains America\u2019s undefeated bombshell \u2014\u00a0and one of our most enduring enigmas. Was the celebrated starlet fragile and love-starved \u2014\u00a0or tough and self-assured? In love with love \u2014 or happy with her many lovers? Now, a new book filled with never-before-seen photos and letters seeks to answer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2046667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[379438,21751,313460,25404,22860,21818,314148,22266],"class_list":["post-2046666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-arthur-miller","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrity-photos","tag-exclusive","tag-hollywood","tag-lifestyle","tag-marilyn-monroe","tag-photography"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Marilyn-Monroe-photos-revealed-for-first-time-Very-young-sweet.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2046666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2046667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2046666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2046666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2046666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}