A Marilyn Monroe handwritten letter to her foster mother has auctioned for $56,250 at Bonhams New York.
In the eight-page September 1942 letter, the 16-year-old Norma Jeane, as Marilyn was then known, discusses married life to first husband Jimmy Dougherty.
 The letter reveals Monroe's desire to establish the identity of her biological father |
"He really keeps me busy cleaning the house and fixing meals, everybody told me that it is quite a responsibility being a house wife, and boy, I'm finding it out. But it really is a lot of fun," Monroe writes.
"Jimmy is so swell to me, in fact I know that if I had waited 5 or 10 years I couldn't have found anyone who would have treated me better. I just think the world of him and we get along so nicely. He is just so sweet about every little thing."
The pair had wed just three months earlier, divorcing in 1946.
Monroe signs off by referring to a Charles Stanley Gifford, a man whom she believed was her biological father.
"How can I get in touch with Stanley Gifford? Through Consoladated [sic] films? Or something like that. Which dept?"
 Monroe and Miller divorced in 1961, the year The Misfits was produced |
The strong performance of the letter is further evidence of the continuing allure of Monroe for collectors.
Her signature has increased in value by 6.8% pa since 2000, according to the PFC40 Autograph Index.
We have several superb pieces of Monroe memorabilia for sale, including this early autograph on advertising slip for Marx Brothers film Love Happy.
The November 25 auction also featured a photograph of Monroe with third husband Arthur Miller, signed by the pair. Taken on the set of her last film, The Misfits, it sold for $12,500.
The film memorabilia auction was topped by the $4m sale of an original statuette from the Maltese Falcon film.
