I love these newly released photos of legendary Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe at the tender age of just nineteen! They were snapped photographer Joseph Jasqur back in 1946, when Marilyn was simply known as Norma Jeane Dougherty. The photos have been tied up in court battles but are finally seeing the light of day and will be hitting the auction block in December at Julien’s Auctions. I’d kill to own one of these (especially the first one) but you know they’ll probably sell for a ton of cash. She looks so fresh faced and innocent, little did she know back then that her look would endure for decades, long after her unfortunate death back in 1962 at the age of 36. She would have turned 85 last month if she were still alive today.
A bankruptcy judge in Florida ruled earlier this week that photos taken in 1946 of Norma Jeane Dougherty – who went on to become the iconic Monroe – will be sold at auction to settle the debts of the photographer. Joseph Jasgur’s photos, negatives and image copyrights will be sold in December by Julien’s Auctions. The collection also includes several model-release forms Dougherty signed for Jasgur in Hollywood.
Darren Julien, chief of Julien’s Auctions, said the photos have not been widely distributed and the collection has been locked up in court battles for more than two decades. He said the sale is significant because “it’s very rare to see something where you can buy a copyrighted image of (Monroe), especially of her first photo shoot.”
“It’s really hard to put a value on something like this, because it’s rare and not just for the collector,” he said, noting that the owner of the copyrights will be able to sell and distribute the images. “These are probably the most significant images of Marilyn that are available because they’re so early, from the first part of her career, and it’s rare to have images like these where you’re selling the rights, too.” SOURCE
PHOTOS | Joseph Jasgur / Julien’s Auctions