Marilyn reading

Marilyn Monroe

If you’re a reader and user of social media, you’ve likely tested your lifetime reading list against the BBC Book Quiz. Or perhaps you've allowed your worth as a reader to be determined by the number of Pulitzer Prize winners you've made it through.

During the 1950s, the pioneering photojournalist Eve Arnold took a series of portraits of Marilyn Monroe. The now iconic photos generally present Monroe as a larger-than-life celebrity and sex symbol. Except for one. In 1955, Arnold photographed Monroe reading a worn copy of James Joyce’s modernist classic, Ulysses. It’s still debated whether this was simply an attempt to recast her images (she often played the “dumb blonde” character in her ’50s films), or whether she actually had a pensive…

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Marilyn at the Chateau Marmont Hotel

Explore Authentic, Marilyn Monroe Portrait Photos Stock Photos & Images For Your Project Or Campaign. Less Searching, More Finding With Getty Images.

In honor of the screen siren's 85th birthday, TIME looks back at the many faces of Marilyn — from barefoot starlet to sexy fashion icon.

Marilyn Monroe reading and relaxing.

Marilyn Monroe, 1956

Marilyn Monroe reading “How to Develop Your Thinking Ability” by Kenneth S. Keyes, Jr., photographed by John Florea, 1951