This exceptionally rare and oversized silver gelatin photograph captures Marilyn Monroe at her most luminous, posed in elaborate Edwardian costume while filming The Prince and the Showgirl (Warner Bros., 1957). Photographed by the legendary British cinematographer Jack Cardiff, this image is a testament to Monroe’s Hollywood royalty and Cardiff’s mastery of light and shadow.

Printed in the 1970s from the original 1956 negative, this 20” x 16” black and white semi-gloss silver gelatin photograph is produced on weight-and-a-half double-weight paper—a richly toned, high-quality print intended for serious collectors and connoisseurs of cinematic history.

Monroe is shown in full period dress, her radiant smile softly illuminated, framed by floral elements and a flurry of motion that gives the composition a painterly elegance. Her pose evokes both innocence and magnetism, a visual contradiction she mastered throughout her career. This image not only encapsulates the aura Monroe carried into every role but also reflects Cardiff’s signature photographic brilliance, honed from decades behind the lens of some of the 20th century’s greatest films.

Unlike most Monroe photographs, this portrait comes from her brief and storied time filming in England, a project fraught with tension between Monroe and co-star/director Laurence Olivier, yet yielding some of the most iconic imagery of her career.