MArilyn
The Beginning
How She Was Found
As a single parent, Gladys worked during the day and left young Monroe with neighbors. Unfortunately for Monroe, Gladys was not well; she was in and out of mental hospitals until she was ultimately institutionalized at the Norwalk State Hospital for Mental Diseases in 1935. Nine-year-old Monroe was taken in by Gladys’ friend, Grace McKee. Within the year, McKee was no longer able to care for Monroe and she was forced to take her to the Los Angeles Orphanage. Devastated, Monroe spent two years at the orphanage and in and out of a succession of foster homes. In 1937, 11-year-old Monroe found a home with “Aunt” Ana Lower, a relative of McKee’s. Here, Monroe had a stable home life until Lower developed health problems. Soon after, McKee arranged a marriage between 16-year-old Monroe and Jim
Dougherty, a 21-year-old neighbor. Monroe and Dougherty were married on June 19, 1942. Marilyn Monroe Becomes a Model With World War II underway, Dougherty joined the Merchant Marine in 1943 and shipped out to Shanghai a year later. With her husband overseas, Monroe found a job at the Radio Plane Munitions Factory. Monroe was working at this factory when she was “discovered” by photographer David Conover, who was photographing females working for the war effort. Conover’s pictures of Monroe appeared in Yank magazine in 1945. Impressed by what he saw, Conover showed Monroe’s photos to Potter Hueth, a commercial photographer. Hueth and Monroe soon struck a deal: Hueth would take pictures of Monroe but she would only be paid if magazines bought her photos. This deal allowed Monroe to keep her day job at Radio Plane and model at night.
Some of Hueth’s photos of Monroe caught the attention of Miss Emmeline Snively, who ran the Blue Book Model Agency, the largest model agency in Los Angeles. Snively offered Monroe a chance at full-time modeling, as long as Monroe went to Snively's three-month-long modeling school. Monroe agreed
How She Was Found
As a single parent, Gladys worked during the day and left young Monroe with neighbors. Unfortunately for Monroe, Gladys was not well; she was in and out of mental hospitals until she was ultimately institutionalized at the Norwalk State Hospital for Mental Diseases in 1935. Nine-year-old Monroe was taken in by Gladys’ friend, Grace McKee. Within the year, McKee was no longer able to care for Monroe and she was forced to take her to the Los Angeles Orphanage. Devastated, Monroe spent two years at the orphanage and in and out of a succession of foster homes. In 1937, 11-year-old Monroe found a home with “Aunt” Ana Lower, a relative of McKee’s. Here, Monroe had a stable home life until Lower developed health problems. Soon after, McKee arranged a marriage between 16-year-old Monroe and Jim
Dougherty, a 21-year-old neighbor. Monroe and Dougherty were married on June 19, 1942. Marilyn Monroe Becomes a Model With World War II underway, Dougherty joined the Merchant Marine in 1943 and shipped out to Shanghai a year later. With her husband overseas, Monroe found a job at the Radio Plane Munitions Factory. Monroe was working at this factory when she was “discovered” by photographer David Conover, who was photographing females working for the war effort. Conover’s pictures of Monroe appeared in Yank magazine in 1945. Impressed by what he saw, Conover showed Monroe’s photos to Potter Hueth, a commercial photographer. Hueth and Monroe soon struck a deal: Hueth would take pictures of Monroe but she would only be paid if magazines bought her photos. This deal allowed Monroe to keep her day job at Radio Plane and model at night.
Some of Hueth’s photos of Monroe caught the attention of Miss Emmeline Snively, who ran the Blue Book Model Agency, the largest model agency in Los Angeles. Snively offered Monroe a chance at full-time modeling, as long as Monroe went to Snively's three-month-long modeling school. Monroe agreed