Marilyn Monroe: Early, unpublished photos by LIFE Magazine photographer Ed Clark. Few stars of the 1950s were so compelling, so singular, that they came to define the era in which they lived and in which they created their most enduring work. Marilyn Monroe was one of those stars. From her earliest days as an actress until late in her career — when she had, against her will, been cast in the public eye as Hollywood’s ultimate Sex Goddess — Marilyn posed for LIFE magazine’s photographers.
Here, LIFE.com presents a gallery of pictures — none of which ran in the magazine — by LIFE’s Ed Clark, a Tennessean with a profound talent for capturing the essence of people, whether they were world famous or utterly obscure. His pictures of Marilyn offer a rare glimpse into the early days of an eventual pop-culture icon’s career, when a young actress was blissfully unaware of what the coming years would bring and was, it seems, just happy to be in “the industry” and getting noticed.
[Buy the LIFE book, Remembering Marilyn.] iPhoneography, the worlds #1 iPhone photography blog, bringing you the latest news, reviews and events - iPhone Journal. The Best Magazine Covers of 2011. Don't judge a book by its cover...unless it's a magazine, in which case often the cover is the main selling point. The best covers of 2011 returned to a new naturalism and a fun aesthetic, like the Lara Stone T cover we're still drooling over, pictured at left.
Sure, there's still room for artifice in fashion (see: Stella Tennant on Vogue Italia), but 2011 was a year for reflecting on natural beauties, incredible models, and stellar photography. After toiling over hundred of covers, we're bringing you "The Best" according to us. Did we forget your favorite? Let us know in the comments. Vogue Italia September 2011 Photographer: Steven Meisel Stylist: Karl Templer Model: Stella Tennant Why we love it: Templer, Tennant, and Meisel nail the grotesque burlesque theme so perfectly that it caused a bit of a controversy. Vogue January 2012 Photographer: Annie Leibovitz Stylist: Tonne Goodman Model: Meryl Streep Why we love it: Listen, if you are a human being, you love Meryl Streep. Travel, traditions, culture - documentary, travel and cultural photography by Mitchell Kanashkevich. Achill Island by Ilaria Battaini. The Big Picture photography competition: best of 2011.