Rapper Jay-Z and wife Beyonce unveiled highly-anticipated pictures of their new baby daughter Blue Ivy Carter on Friday, opting to post intimate family shots on social networking site Tumblr rather than selling them to the highest bidder.

We welcome you to share in our joy. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives, The Carter family posted on microblogging site Tumblr.

The couple posted five photos which show the newborn, already sporting a head of long black hair, being cuddled by her proud parents and capturing intimate moments of family life.

Baby Blue Ivy, born on January 7 in New York, has been shielded from the public by Jay-Z and Beyonce until now. The couple shunned the popular celebrity choice to unveil their offspring in lucrative magazine deals and opted to make the pictures available at no cost on the Internet.

Former Destiny's Child singer Beyonce, 30, and Watch The Throne rapper Jay-Z, 42, married in 2008, and Blue Ivy is their first child.

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