A Tumultuous Childhood: Marilyn Monroe Pictures

Life did not begin easily for Marilyn Monroe. Norma Jeane Mortenson (baptized Baker) was born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles to a mentally ill mother and an absent father. With her mother unable to care for her, she was placed in a series of foster homes. In 1945, an Army photographer recognized her modeling potential while she was working at an airplane factory. She signed with a modeling agency and then caught the eye of Hollywood talent scouts.

Like Mondschein's James Cagney paintings, his depictions of Marilyn portray her as she was best remembered. Our Marilyn Monroe pictures capture the glamour of this starlet.

In stark contrast, Humphrey Bogart's early years were comfortable ones. Born on December 25, 1899 in New York City, his father was a successful surgeon and his mother an acclaimed and very well paid commercial illustrator. They lived in a stylish apartment in New York's Upper West Side. Bogart was sent to private and prestigious schools, but was expelled from preparatory school in 1918. He joined the Navy that same year, then took up odd jobs, and finally found his way into acting. Bogart played in 17 Broadway productions, and it was his success in "The Petrified Forest" that eventually led him to Hollywood.

Our Marilyn Monroe pictures bring back memories of her best work. Similarly, Mondschein's Humphrey Bogart paintings show this legend in his most famous roles. Find out more about Bogart's career in the movies.

Like Bogart, Cagney was born in New York City (July 17, 1899). Unlike him, he grew up in working-class and immigrant neighborhoods. From vaudeville and Broadway to Hollywood, Cagney's career would span 51 years. He was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role as Rocky Sullivan in "Angels with Dirty Faces"(1937), and won the same for playing George M. Cohan in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1941). His final performance was in the made-for-television movie "Ragtime" (1981). Cagney died five years later, but he lives on in his work and in Mondschein's James Cagney paintings, which expertly capture his tough-guy persona.

While our Humphrey Bogart paintings evoke his characters' frequently cynical bent, our pictures of Cagney show something else. Mondschein's James Cagney paintings depict the gritty, street-fighter image that made Cagney famous.