Candle In The Wind
"Norma Jeane", or Marilyn Monroe as so many know her, lived a life mixed with tragedy and happiness. She was one of Hollywood's famous stars in the 50's and 60's, but died unexpectedly at the age of 36 due to an overdose.
So much is made of her later years that hardly anyone looks at her younger ones, where the seeds of who she'd later become were planted. Let's take a look!
Marilyn As A Baby - 1927
Even as a baby she was all smiles. This picture was taken when she was 10 months old in April of 1927.
Unfortunately she'd never know who her father was and would live in multiple homes growing up.
Staying With Aunt Ana - 1938
Here Norma Jeane poses with Aunt Ana at eleven years old. Ana enrolled her in Emerson Junior High School where she excelled in writing and contributing to the school newspaper.
Despite her talents in writing, she was always very shy.
Norma Jeane As A Teenager - 1940
In yet another unfortunate turn, Aunt Ana got sick and Norma had to move in with the Goddard Family. Here she is pictured at age 14.
She soon left this new home because Erwin Goddard, her legal Guardia, molested her.
Norma Jeane Gets Married - 1942
It was a different time back then. Norma Jeane got married at just 16 years old to James Dougherty. Perhaps the fact that she lived in multiple homes growing up made her want some stability.
We don't blame her. Despite her great intentions, her marriage to James wouldn't last.
Monroe's Official Wedding Portrait
Monroe and Dougherty met because he was her neighbor. Monroe later said the two actually had little in common.
She also said they hardly spoke because “we had nothing to say.”
Dougherty and Monroe At Boot Camp - 1943
Norma Jeane and Dougherty pose outside Boot Camp in 1943. He joined the Merchant Marines and was later sent off to the Pacific.
The two became increasingly distant over time and their marriage would eventually fall apart. No thanks to this..
Norma's First Photo Shoot - 1945
Norma Jeane's modeling career happened by accident. While working at the Radioplane Munitions Factory, an Army Propaganda Officer spotted her and took these photos.
It was the first modeling job of her entire life.
Norma Quits Her Job
Norma took the hint, and quit her job to pursue modeling full time. This would turn out to be one of the best decisions of her life, despite the fact that she moved out of her in-laws' home (against the wishes of her husband) to pursue it.
Speaking of her husband, the next decision she made would be the nail in the coffin for her marriage.
Her First TV Ad - 1945
Norma Jeane, pictured above, gets intimately close with another actor. Her husband was furious over this and didn't want his wife to continue with this career.
Their marriage would fall apart over the next year because of it and they would later get divorced.
Norma Jeane And Her Swimsuit
Everything seemed to open up for Norma Jeane in 1945. At 19 years old, the budding star was able to make any photoshoot look easy.
She decided to die her brown her blonde and straighten it to make her more employable. It worked.
Monroe Appears on 33 Magazine Covers
According to Blue Book Modeling Agency's owner Emmeline Snively, Monroe was one of their hardest working and most ambitious models.
She appeared on 33 magazine covers by 1946, not even two years after she started.
Norma Jeane Becomes Marilyn Monroe
Snively loved Norma Jeane, and negotiated a contract for her with an acting agency in 1946. That agency was 20th-Century Fox.
Because of this, Snively and Norma Jeane had to come up with a stage name. As we all know today, they chose "Marilyn Monroe" in 1946.
Marilyn Monroe In A Yellow Skirt
Monroe wouldn't see film success until the 50's, but her modeling career was a different story.
Here she's pictured in a yellow skirt matching her newly died blonde hair.
Marilyn Does Her Best 'Wizard of Oz' Impression
Marilyn Monroe seriously looks like Dorothy from 'Wizard of Oz' in this picture. This picture was taken in 1946.
She divorced her husband James Dougherty in September of that year because he was strongly against her having any kind of career.
Marilyn Exuding Confidence
Perhaps Marilyn was successful because of her ambition, but fans of hers will never forget how flat-out happy she looked in all of her pictures.
She was the quintessence of joy in the late 40's when her modeling career really started taking off.
Monroe Floating In A Swimming Pool
After landing small acting roles in movies like "Dangerous Years," it became clear Monroe needed a teacher if she ever wanted to break out as a star.
The studio enrolled her in the Actor's Laboratory Theatre, and she later said it was "my first taste of what real acting in a real drama could be, and I was hooked."
Monroe As A Work In Progress
While Marilyn certainly makes these pictures look natural, the reality is she had to take classes to become a proper model.
Emmeline Snively enrolled her in a 3-month $100 modeling course that taught her posing, presentation, and grooming.
Marilyn By The Sea
We don't care how many ocean-side pictures she takes.
We think she looks best when she's by the sea.