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The Marilyn Monroe Collection

In The News

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Marilyn’s Clothing and Accessories
Marilyn’s Furs and Accessories
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Monroe Preservation Group Uncovers the History of “Cursum Perficio”
In Memory: Anna Strasberg
Rewriting History: Marilyn Monroe and Stanley Gifford

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Official account for the Scott Fortner Marilyn Monroe Collection, the world’s largest private collection of Monroe’s personal property & archives.

I’ve always loved these photos of Marilyn prepar

I’ve always loved these photos of Marilyn preparing for the world premiere of How to Marry a Millionaire on November 4, 1953.

According to author Maurice Zolotow, her furs that night were the first that she’d ever owned, and they were the only thing she wore that night that actually belonged to her (aside from undergarments). Today, the white fox muff is part of my personal collection. 🤗

From the book “Marilyn Monroe” by Zolotow:

“I want to be all platinum and white tonight,” Marilyn explained, as anxious as a girl getting ready for her first prom… Gladys (Rasmussen) gave Marilyn a straight permanent. Then she bleached and tinted her hair and set it. Marilyn was wearing it long that night, shoulder length. Gladys painted her fingernails and toenails with platinum polish. Her slippers, her evening dress, her long white gloves arrived from wardrobe, together with two wardrobe women. A messenger boy delivered a box with diamond earrings. Her furs had come that morning. The furs were her own. The first furs she had ever owned. Except for the white fox fur stole and muff, and her panties, everything she wore belonged to the studio. The hair, the nails, a good deal of the face were also the studio’s. They were hers and they were not hers, just as the woman on the screen was she and not she.
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In recognition of World Book Day, books from Maril

In recognition of World Book Day, books from Marilyn’s personal library, which are part of the Marilyn Monroe Collection.

Wherever she lived her books were with her. Two examples include her homes in LA when she was just making it big in the business: Her apartment on Doheny Drive (top photo) or her room at the Beverly Carlton Hotel (bottom photo). Marilyn loved to read, and regularly had books with her. She focused on self-improvement. Her personal library contained over 400 books on a variety of subjects, reflecting both her intelligence and her wide-ranging interests. No surprise to those familiar with Monroe, they were the books of a well-read and inquiring mind.

I am lucky enough to own seven books that personally belonged to Marilyn. The first five sold at the 1999 Christie’s Auction, “The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe.”

1) Karl A. Menninger’s “Man Against Himself”
2) “Man’s Supreme Inheritance” by F. Matthias Alexander
3) Dr. Joseph Murphy’s “The Miracles of Your Mind”
4) “Of Stars and Men – Human Response to an Expanding Universe” by Harlow Shapley
5) “Oh Careless Love” by Maurice Zolotow (Who actually wrote a biography on Marilyn called “Marilyn Monroe.”)
6)The book titled, “A Pictorial History of The Movies,” sold at Christie’s in 1995. This book is from Marilyn’s childhood. It was published in 1943 when she was 17 years old.
7) “Great Stars of the American Stage” by Daniel Bloom. This book was a gift from Paula Strasberg, with an inscription reading “For Marilyn/With my love and admiration/ Paula S/ May 29-1956.” Interestingly, this was the date of Marilyn Monroe’s completion of filming for Bus Stop.

All items in Monroe’s library were in original bindings (mostly cloth or wrappers), and good condition. The books comprising Marilyn Monroe’s reading library contained her pencil marks, notations, and inserted bookmarks or slips. Most of the books I have show Marilyn’s personal annotations and underlined passages. In two examples, books I own can be seen in photographs with Marilyn.

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Norma Jeane x Marilyn Monroe 1946 x 1962 Richard M

Norma Jeane x Marilyn Monroe
1946 x 1962
Richard Miller x Laurence Schiller

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Marilyn Monroe and Maf, by Eric Skipsey, 1961.

Marilyn Monroe and Maf, by Eric Skipsey, 1961.

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I said to Marilyn Monroe, “Pictures of you usual

I said to Marilyn Monroe, “Pictures of you usually show you with mouth open and your eyes half closed. Did some photographer sell you the idea that having your picture taken that way makes you look sexier?”

She replied in what I’d come to recognize as pure Monroese. “The formation of my lids must make them look heavy or else I’m thinking of something,” she told me. “Sometimes I’m thinking of men. Other times I’m thinking of some man in particular. It’s easier to look sexy when you’re thinking of some man in particular. As for my mouth being open all the time, I even sleep with it open. I know, because it’s open when I wake up. I never consciously think of my mouth, but I do consciously think about what I’m thinking about.”

Marilyn Monroe to Pete Martin for The Saturday Evening Post, published on May 19, 1956.

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In Her Shoes: The St. Regis Hotel @stregisnewyork

In Her Shoes: The St. Regis Hotel @stregisnewyork

This is my second shot from the famous St. Regis Hotel in New York.

We’re all familiar with the famous subway skirt blowing scene from 1955’s “Seven Year Itch.” Marilyn’s character didn’t even have a name. She was simply known as “The Girl,” and she famously kept her underwear in the icebox during steamy New York summers. As the subway’s breeze cooled her after having seen “The Creature from the Black Lagoon,” she exclaimed, “Isn’t it delicious?”

While in New York to film scenes for “Itch,” Marilyn and then husband Joe DiMaggio stayed at the prestigious St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan. In this photo, she’s leaving the lobby wearing the famous subway scene halter dress, designed by Billy Travilla. Her mink fur coat, gifted to her by DiMaggio, is worn over her shoulders, and she carries her script for the film. The photo of Marilyn lines up almost exactly with the way the entrance looks today.

Fun Fact: The costume Marilyn is wearing sold at auction in 2011 for an astonishing $5,658,000.00. The most expensive film costume ever sold at auction. Immediately after it sold, there were many questions about whether it was the actual dress from the film or a copy. I’m the one who actually verified the dress wasn’t a copy, and had indeed come from the Fox archives. When it went up for auction, it was owned by Debbie Reynolds. Today, the new owner of the dress is very much a mystery. Read all about this costume on my blog. Simply Google, “Marilyn Monroe collection seven year itch costume debbie reyolds” for my research.

Manhattan provided countless locations for my “In Her Shoes” series. Be sure to follow me for more “In Her 👠!” moments from New York! More to come!

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Marilyn, 1955, by Milton Greene / @archiveimages

Marilyn, 1955, by Milton Greene / @archiveimages

🐶 ❤️

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Forever Marilyn. #marilynmonroe

Forever Marilyn. #marilynmonroe

Wait for it… In Her Shoes: Marilyn Monroe, Arth

Wait for it…

In Her Shoes: Marilyn Monroe, Arthur Miller, and Milton Greene at 2 Sutton Place South

My “In Her 👠” tour continues with me in the portico of Marilyn’s New York apartment, located at 2 Sutton Place South.

It’s early July, 1956, just after Marilyn and Miller were married the month prior. Marilyn’s 1955 Thunderbird is parked in front of the building’s entrance, where she, Miller, and photographer, business partner and close friend Milton Greene are about to take a road trip to Connecticut. There are many photos taken of the three of them driving in New York on this same day.

Marilyn moved into this building from her suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1955. It’s located at the corner of East 57th Street and Sutton Place South. Her next home was just up the road at 444 East 57th Street, where she moved in 1957 with Miller. The two locations are just steps away from each other.

The Thunderbird was re-registered to Paula Strasberg, Marilyn’s acting coach and friend, in 1962. Marilyn had given the car to Lee and Paula’s son Johnny Strasberg on his 18th birthday (May 20, 1959). Marilyn was known to have been generous with gifts to those she cared about, this being a prime example.

Fun Fact: The car sold at @juliens_auctions in November of 2018 for an astonishing $490,000.00.

There are many more NYC posts to come! Manhattan provided countless locations for my “In Her Shoes” series. Be sure to follow me for more “In Her 👠!” moments from New York! And, stay tuned for more photos from INSIDE Marilyn’s 444 East 57th Street apartment.

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