Marilyn Monroe’s ‘More Natural and Candid’ Side Revealed in Unearthed Photos: See the Pictures

On February 6, 1956, Eve Arnold attended a press event at New York’s Plaza Hotel for Marilyn Monroe’s new film with Laurence Olivier. “Halfway through the press conference one of the very thin straps on Marilyn’s dress broke, and there was pandemonium as everyone clamored to find a safety pin,” Eve’s grandson Michael Arnold tells Closer. “Afterward, she winked at Eve. Marilyn had planned the mishap to create a frenzy.”

The actress felt comfortable letting Eve in on the joke because they’d been friends since the beginning of both their careers. A new book, Marilyn Monroe: By Eve Arnold, shares more than 100 of Eve’s newly discovered and restored shots of the legendary actress. Published by ACC Art Books, it allows readers to discover a more intimate side of Marilyn.

Eve’s grandson explains she met Marilyn at a Hollywood party early in 1952. The young actress admired the photos Eve had shot of Marlene Dietrich in a recording studio. “She said to her, ‘If you could do that with Dietrich, just imagine what you could do with me!’” recalls Michael.

Over the next decade, the women collaborated on several photo sessions. Eve was also on hand during the filming of 1961’s The Misfits. “Eve’s close relationship with Marilyn allowed her to show a more natural and candid side of her than the more formulaic, flirtatious images captured by many male photographers,” says Michael.

Inside Marilyn Monroe’s Lasting Legacy

After Marilyn’s death, Eve held onto her photographs, but eventually released 1987 ’s Marilyn Monroe: An Appreciation. “When she saw the frenzy of books and photos that painted Monroe as little more than a sex symbol and dumb blonde, Eve felt she had to speak out about the Marilyn she knew and cherished,” says Michael. The new book is a perfect companion, “We selected the photos which told a story,” he says, “and showed something that hadn’t been seen before.”