Marilyn Monroe 1955 Madison Square Garden Circus Elephant Rare Photofest Photo For Sale

Up for acquisition is an extraordinary piece of twentieth-century Hollywood iconography and pop-culture history: an original vintage 8x10 single-weight glossy fiber silver gelatin press archive photograph of Marilyn Monroe riding an elephant at Madison Square Garden, distributed by the premier entertainment repository Photofest.The Photographic & Historical Pedigree:This spectacular, high-contrast continuous-tone print captures one of the most famous and widely celebrated public stunts of Marilyn Monroe’s legendary career. On March 31, 1955, Marilyn made a historic, unforgettable appearance at the star-studded charity premiere of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus to benefit the New York Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation. Stepping into the arena in an elaborate white-and-black showgirl costume—complete with tight corsetry, long evening gloves, high heels, and a dramatic feathered bustle—Marilyn famously rode a specially pink-painted elephant before a captivated crowd. The darkroom rendering beautifully maps her iconic platinum profile, the shimmering sequins, and the heavy elephant hide texture with magnificent clarity.The Material Provenance & Archival History:The reverse of this 8x10 glossy fiber print is an impeccable document for serious ephemera curators, carrying the official blue ink logo label from the elite entertainment files of Photofest reading: "Photofest - PLEASE CREDIT AND RETURN." The top of the label features the authentic, handwritten archive ink index designation: "MARILYN MONROE." Developed directly from the master negative on premium single-weight fiber baryta stock for syndicated media reproduction use, this print carries pristine historical and material weight.Archival Production & Catalog Attributes:

• Subject Celebrity: Marilyn Monroe (Ringling Bros. Circus Premiere, 1955)
• Photographer Context: From the historic Madison Square Garden Charity Session
• Archive Syndicate: Photofest (New York City Entertainment Repository)
• Classification Grade: Authentic Vintage Press Archive Media Issue
• Medium: Original Continuous-Tone Silver Gelatin Print
• Paper Stock Matrix: Single-Weight Glossy Fiber Art Paper
• Dimensions: Standard 8" x 10" Press Presentation Format (Untrimmed wide margins)
• Provenance Verification: Verso carries the authentic blue-and-white Photofest sticker layout, complete with the original "Marilyn Monroe" catalog indexing ink script.

VISUAL & MATERIAL CONDITION REPORTPlease examine the high-resolution copy stand photos carefully to verify the exact physical preservation and magnificent darkroom patina of this original print setup:

• Photo Print Face (Recto): Very Good to Excellent Gallery Condition. The single-weight glossy fiber surface retains a beautiful, deep factory mirror gloss under studio copy stand lighting. The silver gelatin emulsion showcases rich mid-tone definitions, with velvety deep blacks across the arena background and crisp, clean white highlights through her silk gloves, sequins, and feathered plumages. Free of focal surface cracks, heavy emulsion scrapes, fluid staining, or modern user ink defacement. Margins are entirely clean.
• Verso Back Panel: Excellent Archival Condition. The single-weight fiber backing paper remains perfectly flat, clean, and bone-dry. The original Photofest logo label is firmly affixed, and the blue ink handwritten metadata is 100% sharp, bright, and fully legible. Displays only entirely negligible, standard uniform light vintage age-toning consistent with decades of professional flat-file file storage.

PROFESSIONAL PACKAGING & SHIPPING

• Professional Art Handling: Packed with care.
• Tracking: Ships with premium fully tracked shipping. Free shipping is included.