The Making of the Book
The making of Marilyn: August 1953 is as remarkable as the book itself. After LOOK magazine folded in the early 1970s, its founders donated their immense photo archive to the Library of Congress. John Vachon's negatives of Marilyn were included. Only three of Vachon's Marilyn photos were used in the October 20, 1953, article about location shooting in Canada. The rest have remained unpublished until now.
Brian Wallis, Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions at the International Center of Photography in New York, has supplied a fascinating text that explores Vachon's unique approach to shooting Marilyn. One of today's foremost authorities on photography, Mr. Wallis has organized numerous exhibitions, including "Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self" and "Miroslav Tichy."
The book also includes revealing letters that Vachon wrote to his wife during the Banff photo shoot. It seems that he often felt like a fish out of water, surrounded by Hollywood royalty and hangers-on. At one point, Vachon calls Robert Mitchum, Marilyn's costar in River of No Return, "an unmitigated jerk."
Many of the original negatives of Vachon's photographs were damaged, so each of the 100 black-and-white images in the book was digitally restored. Imperfections were removed and tones were carefully calibrated. Plus, the photos were printed as duotones to add richness.
To read more about the story behind this book, click here.
