One of the dresses worn by Judy Garland when she played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz has sold for a staggering $ 1.56 million at an auction in New York. The well-preserved blue gingham apron Dorothy dress was in good condition, despite a few stains around the neck, and was part of a movie memorabilia auction in the Big Apple.
The official listing described the dress as "comprising a blue and white gingham pinafore with a fitted bodice and a full skirt, two mother-of-pearl buttons on the front and two on the back, bearing a bias label inscribed in script, 'Judy Garland'."The winning price exceeded the presale estimate of $800,000 to $1,200,000 and was triple the $480,000 that the dress sold for in 2012. The identity of the buyer was not revealed.
"As we witnessed today in the Bonhams saleroom, the dress is considered a true and timeless icon of classic Hollywood," said Catherine Williamson, Bonhams' director of entertainment memorabilia. Other memorable sales from the auction included a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket that sold for $35,000, a Steve McQueen racing suit from Le Mans that went for $425,000 and a Rosebud sledge gifted to screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz at the conclusion of the filming of Citizen Kane.
The auction was part of Bonhams' Treasures from the Dream Factory sale in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies. In 2014, Bonhams sold the Cowardly Lion costume worn in the Wizard of Oz by Bert Lahr for over $3 million dollars, a record price for a costume from that film, according to Bonhams' website.
