Judy Garland’s name, handwritten in her costume from 1939.
Luckily, Garland’s costume was designed with Technicolor in mind.
Today, the slippers, blouse, and pinafore dress are some of the most valuable movie memorabilia.
The dress and blouse recently rediscovered at Catholic University. (Photo:The Catholic University of America)
Unfortunately, the dress has been lost for several decades.
Back in the 1970s, an actress named Mercedes McCambridge was an artist-in-residence at Catholic University.
However, the Dorothy costume was thought to be long-lost.
The Dorothy costume with Rev. Gilbert Hartke and actress Mercedes McCambridge, who donated the dress in the 1970s. (Photo:The Catholic University of America)
In June 2021, Ripa was clearing items out of a drama building on campus in preparation for renovations.
Inside a plastic bag perched above the faculty mailboxes, he discovered a shoebox.
Inside the box was the white blouse and checked dress in 16-year-old Garland’s petite size.
The ruby slippers worn by Garland, one of five known pairs, currently held at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. (Photo: dbking viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY 2.0)
Ripa toldThe Washington Post, I was shocked, holding a piece of Hollywood history right in my hands.
Ripa and a colleague examined the dress using gloves for the fabric’s safety.
They then contacted the University Archives, and the curators there set to work on authenticating the find.
They discovered and recorded images of Reverend Hartke receiving the dress.
According to the Smithsonian experts, five authentic dresses exist from the 1939 film set.
These have tell-tale secret pockets for a handkerchief and boast mended rips in the blouse which was reportedly fragile.
All five were labeled by someone with Judy Garland’s name.
It will now be officially recognized as such by the university.
The delightful find will be displayed among the archival collections.
The dress and blouse recently rediscovered at Catholic University.
The Dorothy costume with Rev.
Gilbert Hartke and actress Mercedes McCambridge, who donated the dress in the 1970s.
A press shot from The Wizard of Oz’s.
