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 cleaning and maintenance of Monroe’s clothing in September 1955. The services were arranged while she was living in New York and working to establish Marilyn Monroe Productions with photographer Milton Greene.
Preserved with the receipts is a Marilyn Monroe Productions bank check dated September 22, 1955 and signed by Greene in payment for the work performed. Together, the documents form a complete administrative record of routine wardrobe care handled through Monroe’s newly organized business structure.
Created during a period of professional transition, these records provide direct evidence of the practical arrangements supporting Monroe’s daily life and public responsibilities.
Collector’s Note
As a collector, I find records related to clothing maintenance especially useful because they help clarify how Marilyn Monroe’s image was sustained in practical terms.
These dry cleaning receipts show that the care of her wardrobe was handled systematically and, at times, through the financial framework of Marilyn Monroe Productions. They reflect the everyday logistics required to support a public figure whose appearance was closely tied to her professional identity.
What stands out is their ordinariness. They document routine services rather than notable events. For that reason, they help establish continuity. They show how Monroe managed the ongoing responsibilities of work, travel, and presentation during a period when she was reshaping her career.
Documents like these provide measurable points of reference. They help place Marilyn within the administrative realities of her life rather than solely within the mythology that surrounds her.
Scott Fortner
Marilyn Monroe Collection
Founder & Owner
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