Marilyn Monroe, The Puppet
Availability & Purchase Enquiry
Signed lifetime prints by George Zimbel are available through the archive and our partner galleries. To learn about pricing, availability, or to ask a question, please complete the form below and let us know whether you’d prefer to purchase directly, connect with a gallery, or join the waiting list for future digital prints. We’ll reply within one business day.
Learn the story behind this piece
Marilyn Monroe The Puppet shows a rare instant of anticipation during the 1954 filming of The Seven Year Itch. Monroe is posed, her arms set as if ready for motion, her gaze fixed directly at the camera. It’s the split second before the subway fans send her dress into the air — like a sprinter waiting in the blocks, steady, focused, about to move.
George Zimbel often spoke of how these pauses between takes revealed as much as the action itself. Surrounded by film crews, photographers, and a thousand New Yorkers pressing against police lines, he found space for stillness. In this image, he captured Monroe not only as an icon but as a professional fully present, holding a pose with discipline and energy.
Why collect black-and-white photography? Because it heightens focus. Without colour, the viewer sees the structure of the pose, the intensity of her expression, and the charged quiet before the scene unfolds. The Puppet is less about spectacle and more about presence — the moment before history is made.
Availability & enquiries
Signed lifetime prints by George Zimbel are available through the archive and our partner galleries. To learn about pricing, availability, or to ask a question, please complete the form below and let us know whether you’d prefer to purchase directly, connect with a gallery, or join the waiting list for future digital prints. We’ll reply within one business day.
For more on this unforgettable night, see the documentary The Night I Shot Marilyn.
More about George Zimbel: About George Zimbel. More about Andrew Zimbel: About Andrew Zimbel.
Shipping & Framing Info
Delivery & Framing Options
We’re happy to deliver anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area in person. For orders outside the GTA, shipping rates are quoted post-purchase—we ship worldwide and always strive to keep costs fair. If you’d prefer a gallery handle framing or delivery, our partner galleries can help:
Please let us know whether you’d like to purchase directly through us or connect with a gallery for purchase or framing assistance.
Special Projects & Licensing
George Zimbel’s photography is available for licensing and creative collaborations. His work has been featured in the Four Seasons Hotel Montreal and on international book covers, and is widely represented through Getty Images.
Our team — Andrew Zimbel (creative consultant), Matt Zimbel (producer & creator), and Elka Weinstein (museum and heritage specialist) — brings experience in art, media, and exhibition design. We work with interior designers, film producers, publishers, and advertising agencies to adapt George’s timeless imagery for spaces, stories, and campaigns.
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