The most money ever paid for Marilyn Monroe’s first modeling photographs was $352,000, at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills in December 2011. That lot bundled the 1946 Joseph Jasgur pictures with their negatives and the right to sell and distribute them. Single prints sell for a tiny fraction of that, as the figures below show.
| Rank | Lot | Price | Date | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1946 Jasgur photos with negatives and rights | $352,000 | Dec 2011 | Julien’s Auctions |
| 2 | Signed photo to Joe DiMaggio (1953 studio still) | $300,000 | Dec 2022 | Heritage Auctions |
| 3 | First-shoot Jasgur print with negative and copyright | About £4,250 ($6,500 to $7,000) | Around 2014 | Henry Aldridge & Son |
| 4 | Early Jasgur street photograph | About £3,000 (about $4,600) | Feb 2015 | Henry Aldridge & Son |
1. The 1946 Jasgur photos with rights: $352,000
Photographer Joseph Jasgur shot a 19-year-old Norma Jeane Dougherty in 1946, weeks before she became Marilyn Monroe. A judge ordered the pictures sold in September 2011 to settle Jasgur’s debts. They reached $352,000 at the “Icons & Idols” sale. The price reflects the negatives and the right to reproduce the images, which is where most of the value sits.
How we valued it: price reported for Julien’s Auctions, December 2011.
2. Signed photo to Joe DiMaggio: $300,000
It is no modeling shot, yet it is the most valuable single Monroe photograph on record. A 1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes publicity still, inscribed “I love you Joe,” sold at Heritage Auctions in early December 2022 with provenance from the DiMaggio collection.
How we valued it: price reported for Heritage Auctions, December 2022.
3. The first-shoot print with copyright: about £4,250
A Henry Aldridge & Son sale in Devizes offered a print from Monroe’s first professional shoot, with the negative and copyright, against a £5,000 to £8,000 estimate. It was reported to have made £4,250, below the low estimate. The year is not stated in the reports we could open, and we place it around 2014.
How we valued it: hammer price as reported, converted at the rate quoted then.
4. The street photograph: about £3,000
The picture in our original story, taken on March 6, 1946 behind Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood, sold to a private collector with its copyright. Reports put the price around £3,000 (about $4,600) in February 2015, with some reports giving a slightly different figure. The auctioneer described it as a candid shot of Monroe at 19 with “puppy fat” still in her face.
How we valued it: hammer price as reported, hedged because accounts differ.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
We found no new record for Monroe’s early photographs in 2025 or 2026. Julien’s held a 185-lot centenary sale on June 4, 2026, which included photographs and slides, but we could not confirm individual results.
What drives these prices
- Rights beat paper: the lots with negatives and copyright sold for many times a loose print.
- Her handwriting matters: a signed, inscribed photo outsold almost every unsigned picture.
- Provenance: a link to a famous owner, such as DiMaggio, adds six figures.
- Very early images are rare, but fans pay more for the blonde star than for the brunette model.
FAQ
What was the first photograph taken of Marilyn Monroe as a model?
Joseph Jasgur photographed her in March 1946, first behind Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood and then at Zuma Beach.
How much did the early Monroe photos sell for?
The Jasgur lot with negatives and rights made $352,000 in 2011. Single prints have sold for roughly $4,600 to $7,000.
Who photographed Monroe first?
Jasgur, hired in 1946 by the Blue Book agency, took her early test shots.
What is the most expensive Monroe photograph?
A signed photo to Joe DiMaggio made $300,000 at Heritage Auctions in December 2022, the highest for a single signed Monroe photograph that we found.
Do buyers get the copyright?
Some lots did. That is why they sold for more than a plain print.
How we put this list together
We ranked photographs by reported sale price at auction, using auction results and dated sale reports. Prices are approximate and converted from the currency of sale.
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Last updated: October 2026.
