Marilyn Monroe resurrected in never-published photos

One set of photos came from an unexpected corner and even their photographer is unknown. But their owner, Anton Fury, is also a photographer who paid 2 dollars for an envelope of photo negatives in the 1980s.

Fury told the Daily News that he did not know his good fortune until a flood forced him to clean out his studio and he found them again. When he examined them closer, they contained 33 images of Monroe and 71 images of another actress, the late Jayne Mansfield.

The photos, which he plans to auction, show Monroe in several enticing poses that made her famous. Some are close-up portraits showing her thick blond hair. At least two pictures show her in swimsuits next to a swimming pool. A Los Angeles art dealer told him the images were taken around 1950, before Monroe rocketed to fame.

The second set of photos arrived at public notice via a more formal route, from the photographer himself, Murray Garrett, who photographed the screen goddess from the 1950s until her death.

The collection - also of rare, never-before-seen photos - went on exhibit Wednesday at the Washington Square Hotel in New York City, where Garrett himself curated the show, according to a press release.

Garrett was well known for his coverage of personal, off-screen events for celebrity clients, and caught many of Hollywood's greats, including Monroe, in unguarded moments.

'Fifty years after her death, Marilyn Monroe is still the most compelling and recognizable icon in Hollywood. The mystique surrounding her life and the mystery surrounding her death continues to capture and captivate fans worldwide,' Garrett said in a statement.

The circumstance of her death in 19062 at age 36 from a drug overdose has never been fully explained.