Marilyn Monroe reading Ulysses by James Joyce

 

Marilyn Monroe reading Ulysses by James Joyce, Long Island,1955 by Eve Arnold.

 

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Review

Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold review – intimate, tender and witty photographs

In front of the camera Monroe was luminous, but in this reissued and sumptuous collection of pictures Arnold also captured the insecurity and pain

John Banville

Monday 6 January 2025

The story is told of Marilyn Monroe and a friend walking down Fifth Avenue one day in the 1950s discussing Marilyn Monroe. MM was wearing a headscarf and a plain, belted raincoat. The friend remarked on the great difference there was between the woman he knew and the star the world thought it knew. “You want me to be her?” Marilyn said. “Watch.” She whipped off the scarf, opened the raincoat, thrust out her chest and put on The Walk. Within seconds, she was surrounded by a gaggle of excited fans clamouring for her autograph.

Marilyn Monroe / Photos by Eve Arnold

Marilyn Monroe

by Eve Arnold

Eve Arnold, Hon. FRPS, OBE (née Cohen; April 21, 1912 – January 4, 2012) was an American photojournalist. She joined Magnum Photos agency in 1951, and became a full member in 1957. Arnold died in London on January 4, 2012, aged 99.

Arnold's images of Marilyn Monroe on the set of the actress's last film, The Misfits (1961) were iconic, but she had taken many photos of Monroe from 1951 onwards. Her previously unseen photos of Monroe were shown at an Halcyon Gallery exhibition in London during May 2005. She also photographed Queen Elizabeth II, Malcolm X, and Joan Crawford, and traveled around the world, photographing in China, Russia, South Africa and Afghanistan.