Rare vintage matte-finish 11 x 14 portrait photo of Monroe taken during a Frank Powolny glamour shoot in 1953, signed and inscribed in bold black ink, “To Dear little Effie, I love you, Marilyn.” The consignor notes that the photograph was signed for Effie, the sister of Anne Karger, who was the mother of Monroe's voice coach, Freddie Karger. In fine condition, with somewhat irregular silvering to the dark perimeter areas of the image.
Enhanced by its atypical size and gorgeous wide-eyed pose, this is an exquisite depiction of the Hollywood starlet as part of Frank Powolny's gorgeous publicity stills for the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Most famously associated with his classic World War II pinup of Betty Grable, Powolny remained a trusted photographer for Monroe throughout her career and is noted as taking the last known still photographs of the starlet during the production of Something's Got to Give, one week before her death in 1962. An uncommon, mesmerizing image of the iconic actress.
Provenance: Julien’s Auctions: Property from the Estate of Patrick Swayze and Hollywood Legends, April 2017.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$500.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
We use cookies on this site to improve your experience. By using this site, you accept our use of cookies. To learn more, please see our Privacy Policy.