‘Gone With The Wind’ Dress Sells For $137,000 At Auction


A Gone With the Wind dress worn by Vivien Leigh just sold at an auction for $137,000. Leigh wore the dress when portraying Scarlet O’Hara in the “shanty town scene” in the iconic 1939 movie.

Gone With the Wind also starred Clark Gable as Rhett Butler. Heritage Auctions sold the now gray jacket and skirt with a zigzag applique adornment and 150 other items from the Civil War era movie in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday. When Vivien Leigh first wore the shanty town Gone With the Wind dress, it was a vibrant shade of blue, but has faded with age.

Scarlet O’Hara is scene wearing the Gone With the Wind dress that sold at auction for $137,000 in multiple scenes in the classic film. The dress was featured most prominently during the shanty town scene where Clark Gable’s Rhett Butler rescues her when she gets attacked in the shanty town.

The Gone With the Wind dress and items, which were sold by the Heritage Auction house, were all part of James Tumblin’s private collection. Tumblin was reportedly once “in charge of” the hair and makeup department at Universal Studios. He started collecting movie props, costumes, and behind-the-scenes “artifacts” in the 60s. James Tumblin’s private collection of movie memorabilia reportedly include more than 300,000 pieces of film history.

James Tumblin discovered the Gone With the Wind dress during a visit to the Western Costume Company. Tumblin saw the Scarlett O’Hara costume on the floor and was reportedly told it was going to be thrown away. He was reportedly able to talk the staffers into selling him the dress worn by Vivien Leigh for just $20.

Other Gone With the Wind items sold at during the Heritage Auction event include a hot worn by Vivien Leigh for $52,500, a suit worn by Clark Gable for $55,000; and a black bonnet worn by both Olivia De Havilland, who played the character of Melanie Wilkes, and by Leigh. The bonnet was sold for $30,000

Gone With The Wind, which was based on a book by Margaret Mitchell, turned 75-years-old last year. Hattie McDaniel, who played Scarlet O’Hara’s mammy, was the first black actor to be nominated for an Academy Award.

What do you think about the Gone With the Wind dress selling for $137,000?

[Image via: Hulton Archive/Getty Images]

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