Event Details

 

The auction features film costumes representing a significant part of Marilyn’s acting career from Niagara (20th Cent., 1953) to Some Like It Hot (United Artists, 1959). This auction celebrates Monroe’s life as she would have celebrated her 90th birthday this year and consists of film costumes, designer wardrobe and jewelry, personalized gifts from Monroe, documents, and personal correspondences and personal items, and includes the largest collection of Marilyn Monroe ephemera ever offered at auction.

 

Highlights from Marilyn Monroe Property From The Collection of David Gainsborough-Roberts include a sheer black beaded and sequined dress worn by Monroe in her Golden Globe winning role Sugar Kane as she crooned “I’m Through With Love” in the award winning 1959 film Some Like it Hot; an elaborate embellished stage gown worn by Monroe as she sang “After You Get What You Want You Don’t Want It” in the 1953 comedy There’s No Business Like Show Business which was designed by one of Marilyn’s all-time favorite designers, William Travilla; a pink linen halter wiggle dress designed for Monroe by Dorothy Jenkins for the 1953 thriller Niagara; a green satin one-piece with black sequins and gold fringe worn by Monroe as she sang “That Old Black Magic” in the 1956 film Bus Stop; a lilac satin leotard worn by Monroe as Lillian Russell in the 1958 photo series by Richard Avedon and featured in Life magazine in 1958. Additional film pieces offered include costumes from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Let’s Make Love, along with a pair of rhinestone earrings worn by Monroe in How To Marry A Millionaire and a pair of sequin embellished opera gloves from the Rachmaninoff scene of The Seven Year Itch.

 

Monroe’s personal style is represented by a figure-hugging black cocktail dress by Ceil Chapman, a favorite of Monroe; a slender fitting bias cut crepe evening gown worn by Monroe to the 1955 premiere of The Rose Tattoo; an embellished Lanvin gown; and rhinestone jewelry. Personal items include prescription pill bottles, Victoria and Albert museum exhibited high heels, a plastic doll in the likeness of Monroe given as a souvenir at her 34th birthday party; documents and correspondences; household items; and Monroe’s Detroit Free Press “New Faces Award” from 1952.

 

The Marilyn Monroe Property From The Estate of Lee Strasberg collection includes one of just a few pieces of fine jewelry ever owned by Monroe: a ladies platinum and diamond cocktail watch with movement reading “Blancpain, Rayvill Watch Co. 17 Jewels, Unadjusted Switzerland.” Other highlights in this collection include a beautiful 1950’s brown alligator ladies handbag from I. Magnin & Co. with matching accessories; a grey pony handbag from Mexico still containing three one peso bills; a number of other handbags, fur coats and stoles; a stunning ladies minaudière with the original box, featuring multiple compartments containing loose powder with cotton buffer, mirror, comb, two mercury dimes, eight Phillip Morris cigarettes and a tube of used Revlon lipstick in “Bachelor’s Carnation” with a date of 1947, a virtual time capsule of one of the star's nights out on the town.

 

Ephemera in this collection include documents that represent signposts containing unbiased factual information placing the star in a certain place on a certain day. These tangible items left behind to mark simple and remarkable moments in Marilyn’s life and career, from a taxi receipt dated February 2, 1960 listing the trip details as simply “From: 904 To: 20th Century” to a check dated July 25, 1952 written in Monroe’s hand to her mother Gladys Eley in the amount of $150.00 endorsed by her mother signed, “Mrs. Gladys P. Eley.” In addition to household, food, fur, books, beauty, and clothing receipts, there are tax documents listing the star’s expenditures in great detail, a collection of recipes given to her by friends, and of certain interest is her 1962 checkbook containing the filled out stubs of every check written from her account in the final year of her life, as well as the checks written from her account immediately after her death, correspondence, poems and intimate notes featured in the appropriately titled 2012 book Fragments. The book helped to piece together a more even-handed view of the icon demonstrating her intellectual curiosity, vulnerability and humanity. Many of the writings featured in the book are contained in notebooks that are included in the auction as well as lighter material like her now famous recipe for stuffing scrawled on a sheet of “City Title Insurance Company” notepaper.

 

Déjà vu Property From The Life and Career of Marilyn Monroe includes personal items originally sold at Christie’s 1999 and Julien’s Auctions' 2005 Property From The Estate of Marilyn Monroe auctions and other consignors.

 

This is only a small glimpse of the spectacular Marilyn Monroe property offered at auction and will be the last opportunity for such a historic Marilyn Monroe auction. Join Julien’s at the live auction on November 17th, 18th and 19th, 2016 in Los Angeles, California in what will be the most talked about auction for many decades to come.