Marilyn Monroe yielded many images throughout her lifetime that are nothing less than iconic.
Years after her death, fans can still easily conjure images of the actress posed over a subway grate, laying out in the sand or wearing her now legendary black turtleneck.
But before the actress took on her signature look, she was just another beautiful face trying to stand out amongst the masses. In the rare photo below, for example, pre-fame Monroe is barely recognizable as a young woman in a red sweater:
The photo comes from the the collection "Happy Birthday Marilyn!" curated by Andrew Weiss, which captures the star at various phases in her life, spanning the years 1945 to 1962. Featuring images by photographers William Carroll, Andres de Dienes, Lazlo Willinger, Milton Greene, Kashio Aoki, Bert Stern and George Barris, the series examines how a young woman propelled herself from obscurity to mega-stardom in a career lasting only 17 years.
In honor of what would have been Monroe's 89th birthday on June 1, The Huffington Post gained access to some of the collection's most prized depictions of the star.
"Happy Birthday Marilyn!" opens at POP International Galleries in New York City on June 17 and runs through July 1.
Photos courtesy of Andrew Weiss and Pop International Galleries.
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