Marilyn Monroe, first cover of Playboy, 1953

The gelatin silver print on offer here, with the original, heavy white ink outline around the actress Marilyn Monroe, was the actual print used to create the first cover of Playboy magazine, published in December 1953. The white outline was applied directly to the photograph, to separate her silhouette from background of the source image, which was subsequently edited out completely for the final cover design. The iconic image has been reproduced in articles and books repeatedly throughout the magazine’s history.