On July 11th, 1961 Marilyn Monroe left the hospital, after having a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal). It had been a difficult year for Marilyn, who had been in and out of the hospital over a period of 10 months, and divorced Arthur Miller in January.
500 people came to watch the event, which Marilyn Monroe later described as “scary” and “like a nightmare.”
The coat she is wearing here was part of the Christie’s Auction of Marilyn’s items in 1999, and here you can see the image of the coat from the auction catalog (a very important resource to have if you are working on Marilyn Monroe history!):
The coat is now a part of the Marilyn Monroe Collection.
You can see video footage of the event here: https://youtu.be/3FbAh-Pj_Gs
The Vintage Book Club 