Before Marilyn Monroe:-New Photos of Norma Jeane as a Model for the Blue book Agency.

Before she became Marilyn Monroe, the worlds sexiest blonde Hollywood star, she was Norma Jeane Baker.
Marilyn was a model before she hit the big screens and became the star we all know and love.
She was signed by the Blue Book Agency in Los Angeles.

Twenty years ago, Astrid and Ben Franse, owners of a Fifties memorabilia store, were in a vintage shop in Los Angeles when the shopkeeper came over with a box, telling them: ‘It’s press clippings and pictures of Marilyn Monroe. I only got a quick look. It was take it or leave it.’ 

The couple bought the box and took it home to the Netherlands, where it was stored under a desk and promptly forgotten – until 2012 when a dealer telephoned from the U.S. about a client who was a big Marilyn fan. 

Ben remembered the box and went to check what it contained. He was stunned. It was the archive of Blue Book, the modelling agency that launched Marilyn’s career. 

There were negatives, letters, telegrams, photos and worksheets. 

Using this treasure trove of unseen images, Astrid and Marilyn expert Michelle Morgan, author of ‘Marilyn Monroe: Private And Undisclosed’, have been able to tell the little-known story of Marilyn before she was famous..

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-3129991/Marilyn-Monroe-pictures-Hello-Norma-Jeane-astonishing-treasure-trove-rare-images-Marilyn-Monroe-ve-never-seen-before.html#ixzz3dhxWMGxS
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Buy the book ‘Before Marilyn: The Blue Book Modelling Years’ by Astrid Franse and Michelle Morgan is published by The History Press on July 14, priced £25.