Richard Avedon Marilyn poses as Clara Bow 1958 posing for LIFE MAGAZINE Marilyn Monroe as Clara Bow for LIFE Magazine, 1958. For the same photoshoot, Marilyn also appeared as other stars of the silent and early sound era such as Theda Bara, Jean Harlow and Marlene Dietrich. Actress and pop culture icon Marilyn Monroe was also among Avedon’s sitters. Recalling a portrait session with Monroe that took place in his studio in May 1957, he said, “For hours she danced and sang and flirted and did this thing that’s—she did Marilyn Monroe. And then there was the inevitable drop. And when the night was over and the white wine was over and the dancing was over, she sat in the corner like a child, with everything gone. I saw her sitting quietly without expression on her face, and I walked towards her but I wouldn’t photograph her without her knowledge of it. And as I came with the camera, I saw that she was not saying no.” Avedon managed to capture one of the most photographed stars with her public façade down, producing an image that provides a rare glimpse of her inner life.