Where would we be without Marilyn! Life would be so many shades of gray. The world’s most disputed individual; people make fun of her looks, her identity, her voice, her thoughts.
June 1st would be her 100th birthday. Julien’s auctions has been the premiere auction house of Marilyn artifacts; they sold her Happy Birthday Mr President/naked dress for $4,810,000 in 2016.
On June 4th, they will be holding a “100 Years of Marilyn” auction, of never before seen photos, pieces from the only home she ever owned in Brentwood, and some of her most iconic collections (her weights!! She used them throughout her life).
From her original front gates to divorce docs from her first bummy husband, here are my favorite pieces featured in the auction:
-1946 “Decree of Divorce” from James Dougherty
The document that freed her from her first husband, who she was married off to when her guardian left her and she was at risk of going back to the orphanage. She married him at 16, right after she finished the 10th grade.
While Jim was enlisted in the Merchant Marine during World War II, Marilyn started modeling. He hated it and wanted her to be a housewife, even though one time she served him a skinned, boned dead fish because she thought that’s what sushi was. After their divorce, he learned he was at risk of arrest due to the amount of parking tickets Marilyn had received while driving his car.
I also learned Marilyn’s love of working out came from an experience during her first marriage. While living on Catalina Island with Jim, she became friends with former Olympian Howard Corrington, who was one of the island training soldiers. Howard introduced her to weightlifting, teaching her the fundamentals of proper technique; a practice she would carry with her for the rest of her life. Marilyn also explored yoga, jogging, and meditation, the latter still a relatively radical practice at the time.
A different set of her weights sold at a Christies auction in 1999, for $59,700.
-1962 Front Gates from Fifth Helena Drive Home
I love that some weirdo bought these in 1985 and kept them in his basement “to enjoy with family and friends”. We definitely need to check in on that guy but, it’s great that these have been carefully restored down to replica pillars and flooring. They are still in said basement, in Minneapolis Minnesota. Perhaps the most striking memento you could own of Marilyn's…definitely the most personal.
-1962 Bathroom Tile from Her Fifth Helena Drive Home
A hand painted tile from the bathroom of the only home Marilyn ever owned. She loved restoring the kitchen and bathroom with colorful tiles reminiscent of its original style. Marilyn often took trips to Mexico to source authentic furnishings that would complement the architecture.
This home was in jeopardy of being demolished a few years back, by billionaires who wanted to expand their giant dumb house next door. The demolition permit had actually gone through. Then, we all freaked out, I bitched and moaned via TikTok and email, until Councilwoman Traci Park stepped in to preserve this Los Angeles landmark. The owners sued the city of L.A. and Mayor Karen Bass, citing that the home is now worth nothing and they spent all this money securing permits, warding off fans etc. Which a Superior Court judge denied haha. They filed a new federal lawsuit at the beginning of the year, because that’s what rich people do.
-Circa 1967 Color Snapshots of Her Fifth Helena Drive Home
These were taken by nine year-old Lynda Nuñez, of the family that purchased Marilyn’s home after her death in 1962.
The first was shot from what was reported as being Marilyn Monroe’s dressing room window, looking out onto the backyard; the second was shot in the backyard (where a portion of the swimming pool can be seen), looking at what was reported as being Marilyn’s favorite tree on the grounds; the third was taken from what was reported as being Eunice Murray’s bathroom window, showing a rose bush and the swimming pool outside; the fourth was taken in the front yard by the guesthouse, showing a rose bush climbing a wall.
-1960 Sterling Silver Engraved Money Clip
A classic Marilyn gift, she had this custom made for Jesse Long, the boom operator for her 1960 film, “Let’s Make Love”. The auction listing mentions how she would often gift customized sterling silver items to her crew; cigarette cases, trinket boxes, money clips etc. Their reasoning is because she knew who was responsible for making her look and sound good on film.
Another money clip she had gifted came up for auction in 2012. Made for her close friend and personal makeup artist Allan “Whitey” Snyder, the clip is engraved, “Whitey Dear: / While I’m still warm/ Marilyn”. Marilyn had once asked Whitey if he would do her makeup for her funeral. He replied, “Sure, bring the body back while it is still warm and I’ll do it.”
That clip also came with a photo of Whitey as a pallbearer at Monroe’s funeral. It sold for $21,250.
Orange wax pencil on construction paper, an abstract nude drawing by Marilyn. Her handwriting below reads, “nude tucking/ her/ knees under”.
Marilyn was always interested in evolving her education, as she hadn’t graduated high school. During her time on the east coast, Marilyn took an art course through the Famous Artists Schools in Westport, Connecticut. She had gifted this sketch to Lee Strasberg, Marilyn’s longtime acting coach and mentor, who had it displayed in his NYC apartment for decades. It’s a phenomenal piece because it feels so intimately her, and was kept close by those who really knew her.
-1962 Annotated Script from “Something’s Got to Give”
Marilyn worked hard at her acting career. Although a lot of people had something to say about her insecurities, anxieties and tardiness, there was a serious commitment to the craft that couldn’t be dismissed. Under her second studio contract, with Twentieth Century-Fox, a then unknown Marilyn showed up to the lot every single day. Taking classes for acting, singing, dancing, diction and posture. She would spend time with the makeup, costuming, and lighting departments, absorbing everything she could.
This annotated script was for Marilyn’s last film, which was never completed due to her untimely death. It’s an extremely personal piece, seeing her investigate her character, and the additional notes added by her acting coach and close friend Paula Strasberg. Marilyn trusted Paula to such an extent, that Paula was present on virtually every film set towards the end of Marilyn’s career. Something that would often irritate directors and other actors, but was a defining part of Marilyn’s process (for better or worse).
-Marilyn and baseball legend Joe DiMaggio were married for about nine months. He was intense (Sicilian) and traditional. I love looking at them together, but the seeds of doubt are evident. It could never work. Joe remained a solid person in Marilyn’s life beyond the divorce. He had loaned her money to buy her Fifth Helena Drive home. Famously, when Marilyn passed, Joe had roses delivered to her crypt three times a week for 20 years. These are some never before seen slides from their Japan honeymoon/work trip:
So bad they’re kinda good??? A cookie jar, a vase and a wall hanging “mask”. 100% haunted in some way shape or form. From the personal collection of Greg Schreiner, Founder and President of the Los Angeles-based Marilyn Remembered Fan Club, the longest-running one in existence devoted to the legend.
-Circa 1946/1990s Black and White Photography by Earl Moran
In the late 40s, Marilyn had modeled for pinup artist Earl Moran numerous times, appearing semi-nude in a couple of the photos. These photos were used as a reference for his artwork and were not released to the public until after Moran’s death. They were separate from the infamous Tom Kelley calendar shoot that unfortunately thrust Marilyn into some controversy.
From the listing, “..we're thankful to have this visual record of Marilyn's early ‘cheesecake’ modeling days; this lot on offer is an especially compelling example of Moran's work with Monroe.”
Happy almost 100th b-day Marilyn Monroe ❤️
Lucky number 11 estate sales below. Cher dolls, Murano glass chandelier, a lot of artists’ estate sales which makes me nervous. Also a French composer’s sale that can’t be missed…
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