Heritage Auctions Presents Marilyn Monroe, Unfiltered

Never-before-seen archive of Monroe letters, wardrobe, artwork, and deeply personal effects emerges after more than 60 years.

DALLAS, Texas – Heritage Auctions will present one of the most intimate and consequential Marilyn Monroe archives ever to reach the public: The Marilyn Monroe Collection from the Estate of Norman and Hedda Rosten, offered in the June 1 Hollywood/Signature^® Auction.

Timed to the 100th anniversary of Monroe’s birth, this extraordinary trove—unseen for more than six decades—spans 1955–1962 and reveals a profoundly personal portrait of the woman behind the legend. The collection includes handwritten letters, private notes, poetry, watercolors, documents, and personal effects—many previously unknown and never before offered at auction.

These materials capture Monroe in her own voice: candid, searching, witty, and vulnerable. Her writings reflect deeply on love and loss, including her devotion to Arthur Miller and heartbreak following her marriage to Joe DiMaggio. She confronts subjects ranging from a lost pregnancy to emotional fragility and mortality, while also revealing her creative life through poetry, artwork, humor, and intimate correspondence.

For collectors and historians, this archive represents a rare primary source—an unfiltered window into one of the 20th century’s most mythologized figures—forming a powerful narrative of Monroe’s final years in her own words.

The collection, presented in partnership with The Fine Art Group, also includes correspondence from Arthur Miller, offering insight into the emotional complexities of their marriage, and a previously unseen letter from Monroe’s psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, detailing the day leading up to her death and its immediate aftermath—an account of exceptional historical importance.

“Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most enduring and influential figures in American popular culture, a presence that has shaped generations and continues to captivate us today,” says Joe Maddalena, Executive Vice President of Heritage Auctions. “While her image and story have been revisited time and again, opportunities to encounter her in such a direct and unfiltered way are exceedingly rare. The extraordinary letters and notes preserved through her intimate and trusting relationship with Norman and Hedda Rosten reveal a side of Monroe that has remained largely unseen—deeply personal, searching and profoundly human. This is not simply a collection of familiar artifacts, but a remarkable archive of primary material that offers fresh insight into her inner world and a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors, scholars and admirers alike.”

Monroe met Norman and Hedda Rosten in 1955 through photographer Sam Shaw, forming a close and enduring friendship. The Rostens became part of her inner circle, spending time together in New York, Connecticut, and London, and were among the last to speak with her in her final days.

Monroe shared a particularly meaningful bond with Norman Rosten through their mutual love of poetry, reflected in previously unseen works that reveal a striking dimension of her artistic voice. Hedda later served as Monroe’s assistant, accompanying her to film sets, including The Prince and the Showgirl in London.

Reflecting this closeness, the collection includes Monroe’s personal wardrobe, jewelry, and effects, all gifted to Hedda. Highlights include a Christian Dior wool skirt suit worn during her honeymoon with Joe DiMaggio and jewelry seen in iconic photographs. A circa 1961 phonebook offers a glimpse into her inner circle, listing contacts such as DiMaggio, Miller, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Gene Kelly, Carl Sandburg, Sam Shaw, and Lee and Paula Strasberg.

Monroe also formed a close bond with the Rostens’ daughter, Patricia, reflected in keepsakes preserved by the family, including an antique Fabergé clock by Henrik Wigström.

Preserved for more than 60 years, this collection represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire some of the most intimate and previously unseen materials from Monroe’s life, offering a deeply personal narrative of her final years. Whereas Marilyn was so often beset by scandal and sexualization in the public eye, these documents—and the love she shared with the Rostens—offer a more intimate and revealing portrait of the actress than ever offered before: deeply caring, loyal, emotionally rich and complex, creative, expressive, funny, charming, misunderstood, and above all else, deeply human.

Images and information about all lots in the auction, as well as preview information, can be found here.