After having been missing for years, one of the four iconic blue and white dresses worn by the late Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is set to be auctioned off next month. The dress has been missing for decades after disappearing from the Catholic University of America.
The Bonhams auction house issued a release revealing that this dress was worn in the scene where Dorothy faced the Wicked Witch of the West in the witch’s castle. Only it and one other have the blouse still in-tact, and it’s expected to fetch between $800,000 and $1.2 million.
The dress was given to the University by Hollywood actress Mercedes Mcambridge in 1973 while she was an artist in residence there. It suddenly went missing in the 80’s and did not resurface until July of 2021 when the staff found the dress while prepping for renovation.
The university’s drama department will receive 100% of the proceeds raised from the sale.
The Bonhams sold the other dress with the blouse in 2015 for more than $1.5 million. The costume worn by the cowardly lion worn by actor Bert Lahr sold for more than $3 million in 2014.
The Bonhams have said there will be more classic Hollywood items on display next to the Dorothy dress, and more details are expected to be released as the auction date approaches.
The dress is currently on display at Bonhams New York through the 29th of April and will be on display at Bonhams Los Angeles from May 20th – 24th, with the final sale taking place on May 24th.