Rare Photos Of Marilyn Monroe When She Was Just 20 Years Old

Before she became famous, Marilyn Monroe was still known as Norma Jeane Dougherty. In 1946, she and her boyfriend, photographer André de Dienes, took a trip to Malibu Beach, where the 20-year-old future icon posed for a memorable series of photos.

Reflecting on the shoot, de Dienes later recalled, “She was just 20 and had not yet tasted success, but there was already a shadow in her laughter. I asked her to respond to words like happiness, surprise, sadness, and death. When I said ‘death,’ she covered her head with a dark cloth. To her, death was darkness, an end. I tried to suggest it might be a new beginning, but she shook her head and said, ‘That’s what death is for me.’ Her face turned somber, her eyes dulled, and she looked as though she’d lost all color. For her, death was simply the end of everything.”

(h/t: vintage)