Marilyn Monroe Modelling Letter

MARILYN MONROE / NORMA JEANE HANDWRITTEN LETTER:

An eight-page handwritten letter from Norma Jeane Dougherty (Marilyn Monroe) to Grace Goddard (surrogate mother) dated June 4, 1945. 

The letter tells how busy Norma Jeane has been and how she has not worked at the Radioplane factory since January. 

Norma Jeane explains that she was photographed by Army photographers and met a man named David Conover who was “awfully nice and is married and is strictly business, which is the way I like it.”  She tells how Conover has been photographing her and encouraging her to become a model. 

Of her husband Norma Jeane writes, “Jimmy seems to like the idea of me modeling so I’m glad about that.” 

The future Marilyn Monroe ends the letter “I shall be so happy to see you again dear and to see Daddy and Bebe, because I love you all so much...With love, Norma Jeane.” 

The original transmittal envelope.

Eleanor "Bebe" Goddard, was a foster sister and teenage friend of Norma Jean Baker, before she became Marilyn Monroe. The two shared a bedroom and a close frienship in the late 1930s and early 1940s, when Marilyn was living with the Goddard family Here Bebe reads a letter from Marilyn describing her first foray into modelling 6:37







In her later life, Bebe auctioned off some of her photos, letters and other documents from her years with Norma Jeane, and these documents have become a treasure among Marilyn collectors.

A two page letter dated October 26, 1942 from Eleanor “Bebe” Goddard to Norma Jeane during her marriage to Jim Dougherty sold for $960 at auction.

The letter read in part said;

“I know I’ve been awful at writing but I think of you so much…Jimmy and I are still getting along swell…I’ll write to you again next week if it kills me and tell you how my blind date goes… tell your lord and master (ha! ha! I mean Jimmy Dougherty) hello for me.”

  Eleanor Goddard and Marilyn Monroe lived together in a series of foster homes and spent several years together at the home of Eleanor Goddard's father. 

They remained friendly until Marilyn’s death in 1962.