Rare Candid Photos of Marilyn Monroe Reveal a Different Side to the Megastar

A set of rare and candid photos of Marilyn Monroe, taken by photographer Ed Feingersh in 1955, has been discovered and added to the Getty Images collection. The photos show a different side of the actress, one that is calmer and more introspective, quite away from the Hollywood version of the star that we usually see.

The photos were taken during a pivotal moment in Monroe's life and career. After a turbulent business relationship with 20th Century Fox, she had started her own production company, relocating to Manhattan, New York to study acting under Lee and Paula Strasberg. At the same time, she was also starting psychoanalysis all while very publicly divorcing from Joe DiMaggio, the baseball player.

Feingersh was given complete access to Monroe for six days between March 24 and March 30, 1955. He was a photojournalist who had studied under Alexey Brodovich and had developed a reputation for shooting only with available light, but still being able to create beautiful shots out of challenging conditions.

The photos show Monroe preparing for the opening night of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Moroso Theatre, as well as being fitted for a corset that she was to wear while riding a pink elephant through Madison Square Garden for a charity event. Feingersh and Monroe formed an easy-going relationship, despite the fact that one of them was a global megastar, and one of them was an unassuming photojournalist.

The result is this set of portraits which show a vulnerable side to the actress. They are remarkable as well for the very fact that they are only candid photos which she approved for publication before her death in 1962.

The photos also reveal details about the photographer's equipment. He is reflected in the mirror of one of his wide-angle shots, so we can see that he's using a Nikon S2 with a 35mm lens - a rangefinder which was starting to become popularly used in the US.

Feingersh retired from photography in 1957, and died four years later. Several rolls of abandoned negatives and proofs were found by the photographic archivist and collector Michael Ochs in a Brooklyn warehouse, revealing long-forgotten and previously unseen pictures of a troubled megastar.

The following year, 1956, Monroe signed a new lucrative deal with Fox, married the playwright Arthur Miller and acted in which brought her both critical and commercial success, but of course, it wasn’t too many years later in 1962 that the actress was found dead in her hotel room, aged just 36.

These photographs by Feingersh serve as a reminder of her special screen presence, both in moving and still pictures, and are a beautiful tribute to the “real” person behind the celebrity.

## The Photographer's Equipment

The photos reveal details about the photographer's equipment. He is reflected in the mirror of one of his wide-angle shots, so we can see that he's using a Nikon S2 with a 35mm lens - a rangefinder which was starting to become popularly used in the US.

## The Photographer's Career

Feingersh retired from photography in 1957, and died four years later. Several rolls of abandoned negatives and proofs were found by the photographic archivist and collector Michael Ochs in a Brooklyn warehouse, revealing long-forgotten and previously unseen pictures of a troubled megastar.

## The Legacy of the Photos

The following year, 1956, Monroe signed a new lucrative deal with Fox, married the playwright Arthur Miller and acted in which brought her both critical and commercial success, but of course, it wasn’t too many years later in 1962 that the actress was found dead in her hotel room, aged just 36.

These photographs by Feingersh serve as a reminder of her special screen presence, both in moving and still pictures, and are a beautiful tribute to the “real” person behind the celebrity.