In one photo, Marilyn Monroe beams at the camera, backlit by a sky of impossibly idyllic mountains. In another, wearing a perfect pink dress, she ignores her documentarian in favor of a dog, that unforgettable platinum mop overshadowing her face.
There are many, many more like this -- photos filled with fur coats and off-the-shoulder tops and cat-eye glasses, the trappings of 1950s and 1960s Hollywood glamour. The "Lost Photos" series encompasses it all, even the less venerated, like a sweatshirt-clad Monroe standing in the company of two trash-grazing black bears.
Part of Limited Runs' vintage collection, along with the partially nude "Red Velvet" series, the "Lost Photos" give a glimpse into the on-camera life of a woman born 90 years ago this June. She's been dead for over half a century, but her image lives on, even more so on the internet, where photos of her early life circulate with speed. She's kept immortal that way, frozen in a state of eternal pinup youth.
Limited Runs' "Lost Photos" and more are on view June 10, 11 and 12, as part of a 90th birthday celebration exhibition at Heritage Auctions in Beverly Hills, California. See a selection of the stunning shots below.









See even more photos of Monroe below.