Art & culture
Marilyn Monroe when she was Norma Jeane
An early photobooth self-portrait is dated to about 1940.
A small automated portrait shows Monroe before the public image most viewers recognise.
An approximately dated self-portrait
The National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition guide identifies the gelatin silver print as a self-portrait from about 1940, when she was called Norma Jeane Baker. It lists a private collection. Swann’s sale 2370, lot 172 also describes a photobooth portrait with an approximate 1940 date.
Evidence: Museum exhibition guide · Auction catalogue
Keep the qualification
About 1940 should remain approximate in a caption. Avoid repeating the auction catalogue’s tentative first-self-portrait suggestion as an established fact. A documented early portrait can be fascinating without an invented exact sitting day, booth address or story about what the teenager thought. The linked records provide evidence while image-reproduction permission remains a separate question.
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- National Portrait Gallery — Marilyn Monroe, large-print exhibition guideMuseum exhibition guide
- Swann Auction Galleries — Marilyn Monroe photobooth portrait, sale 2370, lot 172Auction catalogue