Negative from Marilyn Monroe's first professional photoshoot auctioned for £4,250

The image was taken by Joseph Jasgur and it went under the hammer at auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Sons in Wiltshire

The image of 20-year-old Monroe during a professional photoshoot before she became a Hollywood icon, which has gone under the hammer (PA/Henry Aldridge and Sons)

As Norma Jeane Baker, this unassuming 20-year-old had absolutely no clue what a whirlwind life she’d end up leading.

The factory girl and wannabe model would end up becoming one of the most revered, emulated and desired women in the world – Marilyn Monroe – making this modest and humbling image it all the more touching.

It shows Norma Jeane in 1946, just after she signed with the Blue Book modelling agency and is a rare negative that has just been sold at auction for £4,250.

“I am quite happy with that as a result,” Andrew Aldridge, from auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Sons, in Wiltshire said, though the estimate was between £5,000-£8,000.

“It was an exceptionally unusual item and to be able to include the copyright added another dimension as we only usually sell the physical item.

Speaking on the attention given to the negative: “There is an enduring interest if you like the cult of celebrity and if you are interested in that era.”

The image of Norma Jean was taken on Zuma Beach in Malibu, California, and was part of her first portfolio of pictures.

The images photographer Joseph Jasgur took launched both his and Norma’s careers.

Additional reporting by Press Association