Marilyn Monroe Behind a White Veil, From “The Last Sitting” for Vogue, 1962

Photographer Bert Stern had three sessions with Marilyn commissioned by Vogue during Diana Vreeland’s first week at the magazine in June, 1962. The photoshoot took place on June 23, 24 and 25, 1962, six weeks before her death. The 2,500 photos he took of her became known as “The Last Sitting,” although photos taken by George Barris were actually taken later in July.

This part of the shoot was entitled “The White Veil.” Marilyn is wearing a Dior gown and veil.

Today this series has attained mythic status and has been not only published all over the world, but also has been a font of inspiration for photographers and designers alike. To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Marilyn’s death, Taschen published “Norman Mailer, Bert Stern: Marilyn Monroe,” which will include all of the images from “The Last Sitting.”