--- description: A preview of an upcoming auction of Monroe memorabilia offers a chance to see a different side of the star, as in these candid images. title: Rare Snapshots of Marilyn Monroe Reveal the Star's Lighter Side image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdffff1f3b8900dc0/6988ae34fb4eacfb8188fdaf/161111-marilyn-monroe-candids-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [photography](/tag/photography/) ## photography Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Rare Snapshots of Marilyn Monroe Reveal the Star's Lighter Side by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Nov 16, 2016 2:00 PM CUT  Marilyn Monroe in front of the Sherry Netherland Hotel in New York City, 1952. Marilyn Monroe in front of the Sherry Netherland Hotel in New York City, 1952.Courtesy Julien's Auctions by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Nov 16, 2016 2:00 PM CUT As far as Hollywood stories go, [Marilyn Monroe](http://time.com/3875608/life-at-home-with-marilyn-1953/ "undefined")‘s is generally seen as a tragic one. The iconic star had one of the most famous faces in the world, even as she [struggled to be taken seriously](http://time.com/4346417/marilyn-monroe-time-1956-cover/ "undefined") by audiences and colleagues. She overcame a [rough](http://time.com/4346542/radical-politics-marilyn-monroe/ "undefined") childhood to reach fame and fortune, but [died young, in 1962](http://time.com/3984289/marilyn-monroe-obituary/ "undefined"), troubled and alone. Knowing what would come later, it’s easy for her fans today to look at images of the actress and add their own overlay of sadness to the pictures. But, as these candid photos suggest, the tragedy of her story does not mean that she lacked for moments of happiness—or at least moments when she appeared to be happy. **_(Gifts:_** [**_The 100 Most Influential Images of All Time)_**](http://shop.time.com/storefront/subscribe-to-time/link/1039114.html?xid=cm-TIMEShopscTIMEArticle "undefined") These images are part of a massive haul of Monroe material being sold this week by [Julien’s Auctions,](http://www.juliensauctions.com/ "undefined") beginning on Thursday. Many of them were owned by Frieda Hull, one of the[ so-called](https://books.google.com/books?id=eKktAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT118&dq=%22monroe+six%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiW4uTQwabQAhVh0YMKHYOSD%5FcQ6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q=%22monroe%20six%22&f=false "undefined") “Monroe Six”—a group of young superfans who followed her every move, and who eventually got to know Monroe well. The fans often snapped amateur photos of the star, which offer a contrast to the famous pictures that often spring to mind when one thinks of Monroe. Some of Hull’s collection of Monroe images have never before been seen publicly. [_Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter_](http://time.com/newsletter "undefined") The auction also includes items ranging from costumes worn by the star to pieces from her personal correspondence. Perhaps most notably, the [several days of auctions](http://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2016/marilyn-monroe/index.html "undefined") will also include the sale of the actual dress that Monroe wore—in fact, she was was sewn into it—for the night she [famously](http://time.com/3879743/marilyn-monroe-john-kennedy-happy-birthday-may-1962/ "undefined") sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. **_Gifts:_** [**_The 100 Most Influential Images of All Time_**](http://shop.time.com/storefront/subscribe-to-time/link/1039114.html?xid=cm-TIMEShopscTIMEArticle "undefined")  Marilyn Monroe in front of the Sherry Netherland Hotel in New York City, 1952. Courtesy Julien's Auctions  Marilyn Monroe circa 1953 at La Rue Restaurant. Courtesy Julien's Auctions  Marilyn Monroe driving a car and posing through the driver's side window, taken in the mid-1950s. Courtesy Julien's Auctions  Marilyn Monroe with her husband Arthur Miller departing New York City for England to film The Prince and the Showgirl on July 13, 1956. Courtesy Julien's Auctions  Marilyn Monroe beside a plane. Courtesy Julien's Auctions  Marilyn Monroe with an unknown crew member on the set of River of No Return in Jasper National Park in Canada, 1953. Courtesy Julien's Auctions  Marilyn Monroe in 1955, possibly going to a birthday party for Elia Kazan on September 7. Courtesy Julien's Auctions  Marilyn Monroe wearing a white brocade gown with matching jacket and white evening gloves as she attended the New York City premiere of East of Eden on March 9, 1955. Courtesy Julien's Auctions  Marilyn Monroe as she boarded a plane for Hollywood at Idlewild Airport in New York on Feb. 25, 1956. Courtesy Julien's Auctions ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4568502/marilyn-monroe-candid-photos/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4568502/marilyn-monroe-candid-photos/"},"headline":"Rare Snapshots of Marilyn Monroe Reveal the Star's Lighter Side","datePublished":"2016-11-16T14:00:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:32.957Z","description":"An upcoming auction offers a chance to see a different side of the star","url":"https://time.com/4568502/marilyn-monroe-candid-photos/","keywords":["photography","Newsfeed","Hollywood","marilyn monroe"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdffff1f3b8900dc0/6988ae34fb4eacfb8188fdaf/161111-marilyn-monroe-candids-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Liz Ronk","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdffff1f3b8900dc0/6988ae34fb4eacfb8188fdaf/161111-marilyn-monroe-candids-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Marilyn Monroe","caption":"Marilyn Monroe in front of the Sherry Netherland Hotel in New York City, 1952.","creditText":"Courtesy Julien's Auctions","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/photography/","name":"photography"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4568502/marilyn-monroe-candid-photos/","name":"Rare Snapshots of Marilyn Monroe Reveal the Star's Lighter Side"}}]}] ```