A unique contact sheet from Marilyn Monroe's famous "The Last Sitting," photographed by Bert Stern, comes to auction on Thursday in Swann's Fine Photographs sale. The shoot consisted of over 2,500 photographs, many of which are now iconic shots depicting the troubled beauty weeks before her death. Yet there was only one printed copy of this contact sheet, which includes nine different photographs taken during the sitting. Additionally, one was marked, likely by Marilyn, with an "x" to show her dissatisfaction with that particular image. Daile Kaplan, interviewed by The Daily Mail, describes Marilyn in these photographs: "There is a delicacy about the images and Marilyn Monroe is often referred to as vulnerable. The scarf is similar because it is beautiful but also has a vulnerable quality. And the cross she put on one of the photos has a quasi-religious quality."
Monroe was also fired from the movie set of Something's Got to Give due to her erratic behavior—despite being photographed looking healthy and playful.
Labels: Bert Stern, Daile Kaplan, fine photographs, Lawrence Schiller, Marilyn Monroe
