Marilyn Monroe with Swarovski Pearls - The Last Sitting by Bert Stern

This beautiful image was one of a series of 2500 photos taken by Stern for Vogue over a three-day period in June, 1962, at the Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles. It became known as 'The Last Sitting', as it was Marilyn's last photo assignment with Stern before her tragic death on  August 54h,1962.

With the obvious exception of her famous red velvet 1949 nude shoot for photographer, Tom Kelley, Marilyn had never before allowed a photographer such intimate access, and Stern's lens captured over 2500 truly remarkable and intimate images of a fragile, sensual and playful woman, who would tragically die just a few weeks later.

'Sometimes I think it would be easier to avoid old age, to die young, but then you'd never complete your life, would you? You'd never wholly know yourself.. (Marilyn Monroe).'