Touching up her makeup on a flight to Chicago, the unsuspecting Marilyn Monroe in this image is a world away from her appearance in publicity photos released by Hollywood studios.
Taken in 1955, at the height of her fame, by legendary photographer Eve Arnold (and featured in a new book marilyn monroe*), the photo gives a glimpse of the actress’s private life.
Monroe, then 29, had called Arnold at 4 a.m. that day to ask if he could accompany her to Illinois with her hairdresser Leonardi.
“Everywhere we went, the crush of people was so great that, to give her privacy, I stood guard in the women’s bathroom at the airport,” Arnold writes.
“I had decided a long time ago that I would try to document the madness of their trip and the kind of mass hysteria it engendered.
“Also, if I could capture his mood behind the scenes, that would contribute greatly to the story.”
*ACC Art Books, £40. To order a copy for £34 with free delivery to the UK until November 10, visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Magnum