A native New Yorker, Sam Shaw (1912 to 1999) began his photography career in the 1940s with Collier's magazine, photographing the everyday life of ordinary people. He travelled the USA creating reportages on such subjects as jazz musicians in New Orleans, farmers and coal miners in West Virginia, WWII, and the burlesque, before going on to work with film studios in New York, Los Angeles and Europe as a stills photographer. As well as photographing Marlyn Monroe throughout her career, Shaw shot many other film industry personalities such as Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, and Alfred Hitchcock. His work was regularly published in Life, Look, Paris Match, Europeo, Harper's Bazaar, among others.
""Through 240 richly illustrated pages, Shaw's voice illuminates the quest for artistic authenticity and the torments of a superstar born, according to him, ""out of time."" Celebrating the centennial of her birth, Dear Marilyn challenges our view of a legend, revealing the luminous vulnerability behind the image of a woman who has become an eternal symbol."" - Harpers Bazaar ORF Austria TV interviewed Melissa Stevens regarding Dear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographers. - ORF Austria ""Seventy years after The Seven Year Itch premiered, a posthumous collection from Sam Shaw, the photographer behind the famous subway grate photo, offers an intimate glimpse of the enigmatic star."" - Vanity Fair Vanity Fair also posted the story on their Instagram grid. - Instagram Tom & Lorenzo picked up the Vanity Fair piece on Dear Marilyn. - Tom & Lorenzo """"""Previously unpublished photographs and letters of Marilyn Monroe are published in a beautiful book by ACC Art Books, based on the personal reflections and work of Sam Shaw."""" """"By capturing her emotions, Sam Shaw became her confidant. His photographs, reading her notes, and their letters allow us to (re)discover Marilyn Monroe with all the tenderness of her knowing gaze."""""" - Vanity Fair ""... Marilyn unguarded, radiant in her naturalness – a glimpse of the woman behind the myth."" - Arts & Collections Magazine ""By bringing together visual and emotional memories, Dear Marilyn reveals a Marilyn less sculptural and more real. She still shines, but now she's also down to earth. The book, curated by Shaw's daughters and granddaughter, not only offers a privileged look at one of pop culture 's greatest figures, but also highlights the silent role of those behind the camera. Sam Shaw not only photographed the star, he saw her."" - Vogue Brazil """"""Intimate Marilyn Monroe pics by acclaimed photographer and confidante revealed for first time."""" """"Monroe had many sides — and Sam lets us see them all."""""" - The New York Post ""Six decades after her tragic death at just 36 years old, the question of 'Who was the real Marilyn Monroe?' persists today. While unauthorized biographies and sensationalized biopics have attempted to answer that question, none have captured the enigma of Monroe quite as intimately as Shaw's camera."" - Daily Mail ""...his family unearthed a trove of unseen images and correspondence between the two, which are included in “Dear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs.” In the book, published by ACC Art Books, Shaw describes the subway grate scene featuring Monroe and actor Tom Ewell in The Seven Year Itch, and its subsequent image was his idea..."" - People Magazine People.com featured Dear Marilyn in a another article. - People Magazine ""Shaw’s photographs of Monroe from both New York and Los Angeles remain among the most recognizable images of the actress — as well as one of the most iconic pop culture images of the 20th century."" - PetaPixel """"""When Monroe's star rose in Hollywood shortly thereafter, her friendship with Shaw gave him insight into her dazzling life. She revealed herself to him in a personal and approachable way. The intimate photos and letters from this period have now been published in a book: """"Dear Marilyn: The Unpublished Letters and Photographs."""" """"...Monroe had many unknown sides—these pictures showcase some of them."""""" - BILD Germany Harper's Bazaar France featured Dear Marilyn on their Instagram grid (they featured the book in their September issue). - Instagram Fox News shared their interview with Melissa Stevens on Dear Marilyn. - Fox News """""" Sam Shaw was a talented photographer who documented the world of Marilyn Monroe through the lens of his camera at the height of her career. But Sam Shaw was more than just a photographer doing his job capturing images of a Hollywood icon. With just a camera between them, Shaw became a close and trusted friend to the starlet, gaining a rare look inside her inner world."""" """"The rare images in the book show a side of Marilyn that we’ve rarely seen before. Far from the glitz and glamour, Shaw saw her at her most vulnerable and natural. He set out to capture her most innocent, playful and charming moments that were only seen in personal moments."""" """"This book of photos and letters is a treasure for any fan of Marilyn Monroe, photography or stories of friendship. In Dear Marilyn, The Unseen Letters and Photographs, Sam Shaw is finally showing the world the Marilyn he knew while the world can now see the work of an artist Marilyn knew."""""" - The Eye of Photography ""Dear Marilyn is an ode to friendship, stardom, and the actress’s enduring legacy, 63 years after her death."" - Airmail WGN Chicago interviewed Melissa Stevens on Dear Marilyn. - WGN Chicago ""...Dear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs is full of anecdotes to die for and high-quality prints. Additionally, Shaw’s commentary gives us a tribute to a friend that is both tender and devoted."" - Instagram Corriere Della Serafeatured Dear Marilyn in their magazine. - Corriere Della Sera """"""Shaw's natural and candid photographs reveal Marilyn's true nature."""" """"Shaw masterfully captured Marilyn's free spirit, personal charm, and artistic side in his photographs."""" """"Sam Shaw's letters were a friendship, a mentor, and a powerful source of support for Marilyn."""""" - Vogue Turkey The Instagram account Marilyn Monroe Collection featured Dear Marilyn as a lovely reel post. - Instagram """"""Their friendship, which lasted the rest of Monroe’s life, also produced some of Monroe’s most iconic images, both of public and private moments. Now, those photographs and letters have been chronicled in a book, Dear Marilyn, compiled by Shaw’s daughters, Meta and Edith."""" """"The photographer Sam Shaw collaborated with Monroe on the photographs that cemented her as an icon. Now, a new book of his work celebrates their partnership and friendship."""" """"And, what’s more, the glossy and highly flippable book makes for a great holiday gift. Photos of Marilyn Monroe are timeless, after all."""""" - Town & Country ""Sam Shaw’s book offers a personal window into Marilyn Monroe’s world ahead of the centenary of her birth next year. Drawing on newly uncovered letters and journal entries, Shaw, Monroe’s longtime friend, captured some of her most enduring images in photos and film, and reveals her both as a global icon – in the quasi- religious sense – and as the thoughtful, searching woman he knew."" - The Telegraph """"""A new book Dear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs reveals a collection of long-lost photographs of Marilyn Monroe and explores the photographer behind some of her most iconic images."""" """"Photographer Sam Shaw, who died in 1999, produced many of Monroe’s most defining images, including the wind-blown scene from The Seven Year Itch. The photograph from that moment remains one of the widely recognized and influential images on Monroe to this day."""""" - PetaPixel ""Our pick of this year’s best coffee-table books covers everything and anything from art and design to music, photography, and cooking...Some books feature photographs from the greats...And others feature photographs of the greats: Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, and Jean Seberg."" - Airmail Bill Shapiro, the former Editor-in-Chief of LIFE magazine, writer, and co-founder of BluePhoto Collective posted about Dear Marilyn on his Instagram @billshapiro. - Instagram David Downton featured Dear Marilyn on his Instagram grid, where he has over 110K followers. - Instagram