Marilyn Monroe’s Personal Dry Cleaning Receipts, 1955

From the Personal Files of Marilyn Monroe: This group of seven original dry-cleaning receipts from Mme. Apter’s Sutton Cleaners documents the professional care and maintenance of Marilyn Monroe’s personal wardrobe during 1955. Sutton Cleaners, located in New York City, was entrusted with the cleaning of Monroe’s garments at a time when she had relocated to Manhattan and was actively establishing Marilyn Monroe Productions with photographer Milton Greene.

Preserved together with the receipts is Marilyn Monroe Productions bank check number 251, dated September 22, 1955, signed by Milton Greene, issued in payment for the services rendered. The check confirms that the cleaning of Monroe’s personal clothing was handled through the financial structure of her newly formed independent production company.

These receipts provide rare, surviving evidence of the routine yet essential care of Monroe’s wardrobe during one of the most pivotal transitions of her career. They reflect the infrastructure that supported her daily life, documenting the preservation of garments worn both privately and during public appearances as she redefined her professional identity in New York.

Together, the receipts and corresponding payment check form a complete and verifiable record of stewardship, offering an intimate glimpse into the material reality of Marilyn Monroe’s personal and professional world.