In early 1955, a 29-year-old Marilyn Monroe -- on the advice of her acting coach Lee Strasberg -- left Hollywood for New York, in an attempt to break free from her contract with Twentieth Century Fox and her "dumb blonde" persona.
Once in New York, Marilyn moved into a suite at the Ambassador Hotel and formed a production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, with photographer and friend Milton Greene.
Both Milton and Marilyn agreed that her image needed a boost if she wanted to be taken seriously as an actress. Milton arranged for a cover spread in Redbook magazine, in hopes that they would depict the "real Marilyn."
For one week, Redbook photographer Ed Feingersh followed Marilyn around New York, capturing intimate images of her in both her private and public life.