A new exhibition at London's National Portrait Gallery, opening Thursday, focuses on Marilyn Monroe's agency in shaping her own image, particularly through the lens of female photographers like Eve Arnold. A prominent feature is Arnold's 1955 photograph of a 29-year-old Monroe in Long Island, New York, engrossed in James Joyce's "Ulysses." This image, capturing Monroe in a natural, contemplative state without studio artifice, aimed to counter the "dumb blonde" stereotype and highlight her intellectual depth. The exhibition spans Monroe's career from early "Norma Jeane" photos to her final photoshoot in 1962, showcasing her deliberate control over her photographic image, including her power to veto unwanted pictures. Monroe, who founded her own film company, sought out Arnold for her naturalistic style, seeing a kindred spirit in the photographer who also worked outside traditional studio settings.