Marilyn Monroe at her Hollywood home, 1953

Ben Cosgrove, Life.com
1 minute read
Updated 4:16 PM EDT, Fri May 31, 2013
Marilyn Monroe sits at home during a 1953 photo shoot. The actress died in 1962 from a barbiturate overdose, aged just 36.
Marilyn in the spring of '53 —
Marilyn Monroe sits at home during a 1953 photo shoot. The actress died in 1962 from a barbiturate overdose, aged just 36.
Alfred Eisenstaedt/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Monroe died more than 50 years ago, but in those five decades pop culture's fascination with the tragic Hollywood star has only intensified.
Marilyn in the spring of '53 —
Monroe died more than 50 years ago, but in those five decades pop culture's fascination with the tragic Hollywood star has only intensified.
Alfred Eisenstaedt/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Her generous nature and bad financial sense meant that the actress, whose estate now nets millions a year, died $400,000 in debt.
Marilyn in the spring of '53 —
Her generous nature and bad financial sense meant that the actress, whose estate now nets millions a year, died $400,000 in debt.
Alfred Eisenstaedt/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circled photos on a black and white contact sheet show editor's choices from photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt's 1953 photo shoot.
Marilyn in the spring of '53 —
Circled photos on a black and white contact sheet show editor's choices from photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt's 1953 photo shoot.
Alfred Eisenstaedt/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Biographer Keith Badman, author of the recent book, "The Final Years of Marilyn Monroe: The Shocking True Story," believes the movie legend's enduring appeal is due, at least in part, to her closely managed image. "Her image is forever locked in that beauty, we will never find a picture of her looking old or past her prime. She was an exceptionally beautiful woman and she died very young."
Marilyn in the spring of '53 —
Biographer Keith Badman, author of the recent book, "The Final Years of Marilyn Monroe: The Shocking True Story," believes the movie legend's enduring appeal is due, at least in part, to her closely managed image. "Her image is forever locked in that beauty, we will never find a picture of her looking old or past her prime. She was an exceptionally beautiful woman and she died very young."
Alfred Eisenstaedt/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Marilyn in the spring of '53

Story highlights

Photos of a 26-year-old Marilyn Monroe

Photos taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt at her Hollywood home

Saturday, June 1, marks Marilyn Monroe's 87th birthday

Life.com  — 

Saturday, June 1, marks Marilyn Monroe’s 87th birthday. Or rather, it marks the 87th anniversary of her birth. It’s difficult, after all, to envision what an 87th birthday might look and feel like for someone who died more than a half-century ago, when she was just 36 years old.

Here, in a quiet tribute to Marilyn Monroe, LIFE.com presents a series of color pictures by Alfred Eisenstaedt, made at the movie star’s Hollywood home almost exactly 60 years ago in the spring of 1953, when she was just 26. What’s perhaps most striking about these photos, especially in light of all we now know about Marilyn’s fraught and deeply sad life, is how relaxed, self-possessed and (dare we say it?) happy she looks.

See the entire gallery and read the full story on Life.com.