Marilyn Monroe’s Personal Lamp
From the Estate of Marilyn Monroe, an early twentieth century table lamp constructed of solid brass and weighing more than twenty six pounds. The lamp features a circular base adorned with draped swags and anthemion ornamentation, supporting a tapering stem detailed with patera and opposing bellflower motifs. Its paneled shade is framed with pierced beaded latticework, reflecting classical decorative influences characteristic of the period.
This lamp was used within the joint offices of Marilyn Monroe Productions and photographer Milton Greene, both located at 480 Lexington Avenue in New York City. During the formative years of Marilyn Monroe Productions, the space served as both business headquarters and creative studio. When Marilyn and Greene ended their professional partnership, the lamp remained with Marilyn and was later used in her New York residence.
On March 8, 1955, Marilyn was interviewed inside the offices of Marilyn Monroe Productions. Photographs taken that day by Milton Greene document the occasion, and this very lamp is visible behind her in those images, offering clear photographic confirmation of its presence within her working environment.
The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe
October 1999
Collector’s Note
What makes this lamp documentable is the photographs. Milton Greene photographed Marilyn inside the Lexington Avenue offices on March 8, 1955, and the lamp is visible in those images. That photographic record places it in a specific room, on a specific date, during a period when Marilyn was actively building the business infrastructure of her career.
Marilyn Monroe Productions was not a vanity arrangement. It was the mechanism through which she renegotiated her contract with Fox, gained creative approval over her projects, and established herself as something other than a studio asset. This lamp sat in those offices while that work was being done.
When her partnership with Milton Greene ended, she kept it and moved it into her New York home. That continuity of ownership is part of its record.
Scott Fortner
Marilyn Monroe Collection
Founder & Owner
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