Author(s): Tom Kelley

Photography

In 1948, celebrity photographer Tom Kelley took a photograph of an out of work actress; a nude posed with arm outstretched against a scarlet background. That actress was Marilyn Monroe. A few years later, this photo became Playboy's first ever centrefold in its inaugural issue in 1953. Kelley's photograph has become one of the most viewed nudes in history and, as Norman Mailer wrote, is 'breathtakingly beautiful'. This is just one photo from a vast, unseen archive. This exquisite volume offers a complete first look at Kelley's visionary photography of the 1940s-70s.