claim: An image showing Marilyn Monroe with a cat is a genuine photograph.
origin: Marilyn Monroe wasÂ one of the most photographed women in the world during the 20th century. And judging by the number of rumors weâ€™ve investigated and subsequently debunkedÂ about the Hollywood legend,Â she couldÂ be the most Photoshopped of the 21st. One example is the following image which purportedly shows Marilyn Monroe holding a cat next to her face: This is not a genuine photograph of Marilyn Monroe with a cat.Â The original photograph depictsÂ photographerÂ Anna VihastayaÂ with her cat. Vihastaya uploaded the self-portraitÂ toÂ to her 500PX page in October 2011. Whoever doctored the photo later added Monroeâ€™s face to the photograph, while keeping Vihastayaâ€™s hair. The original photograph of Marilyn Monroe dates fromÂ around 1953 and features the actress, sans cat, sitting on her patio.Â Hereâ€™s a comparison showing the original image (left), the genuine photograph of Monroe (center), and the digitally altered composite (right):