Hello, Norma Jeane! Unique negative of Marilyn Monroe while she was still plain 20-year-old Miss Baker hoping for fame is being sold for £3,000 

  • The image was taken in 1946 by photographer Joseph Jasgur who had been asked to take some test shots of the fresh-faced would-be model Norma Jeane 
  • He took Marilyn down a nearby side street in West Hollywood to photograph her 
  • Snap led to several proper photo shoots above the Hollywood sign weeks later
  • Negative is being sold with copyright to the winning bidder on Saturday

By Anthony Joseph for MailOnline

Published: 11:36 EST, 26 January 2017 | Updated: 11:52 EST, 26 January 2017

A unique negative of Marilyn Monroe while she was still a plain 20-year-old hoping for fame, is being sold for £3,000.  

The image was taken in 1946 by photographer Joseph Jasgur who had been asked to take some test shots of the fresh-faced would-be model - then known as Norma Jeane Baker.

He didn't have much time and so took Marilyn down a nearby side street in West Hollywood, California, to photograph her.

The image was taken in 1946 by photographer Joseph Jasgur who had been asked to take some test shots of the fresh-faced would-be model - then known as Norma Jeane Baker

The snap led to several proper photo shoots above the Hollywood sign and at Zuma Beach several weeks later.

Unusually, the negative is being sold with copyright which means the winning bidder can reproduce and distribute the photo for financial gain.

This is because Jasgur was declared bankrupt several years before his death in 2009 and as a result the US government took possession of his assets including the negative.

Andrew Aldridge, of auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son of Devizes, Wiltshire, which is selling the negative, said: 'The image was taken on March 6, 1946 as part of some informal test shots that proceeded a formal shoot.

'This image is a true genesis as it is one of the first professional images ever taken of Marilyn.

'It offers a unique glimpse of the young girl who was to become the global phenomena that was Marilyn Monroe.

'Photos of this type come to market very occasionally, however, the true value in this image lies in the fact that it is sold with the copyright to reproduce and distribute the image as the winning bidder wishes.'

The 5ins x 4ins negative is being sold on Saturday. 

The snap led to several proper photo shoots above the Hollywood sign and at Zuma Beach several weeks later

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