Gone With the Wind Costume Sketches to be Auctioned!

February 17th, 2006 Movie Posters

Gone With the Wind Costume Sketches to be Auctioned!

Dallas, Texas: It's been called the greatest film of all time, an American classic that brought the trials and turmoil of the Civil War to life on the Silver Screen.

A monumental achievement in the history of film, the creators of Gone With the Wind spared no expense to bring this epic story to life. From top-tier talent to elaborate sets to classic music that still stirs the heart to this day, everything about this production was first rate.

But of all the elements that went into making this one of the finest films ever produced, the one that people tend to remember most fondly are the elaborate and sumptuous costumes.

And now, two original pre-production costume sketches from this classic film will hit the auction block, courtesy of Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries.

"Out of 450 costume sketches produced for this film, 377, including the two offered here, were made by Walter Plunkett, widely known at the time as an expert on period costuming," said Grey Smith, Director of Vintage Movie Poster Auctions for Heritage.

"These sketches provide a fascinating look behind the scenes at this incredible film," said Smith. "They come from Atlanta, where set and costume renderings were taken for the film premiere in 1939, and were displayed in storefronts and at the theater where the film opened. They were subsequently left in Atlanta and were acquired some years later by the consignor of these historically significant items."

"Both of the sketches we're offering are for Scarlett O'Hara costumes," said Smith. "One is for her 'Widow's Weeds' outfit, seen when Rhett brings Scarlet the green 'Paris hat.' The other is of a stunning green dressing gown, which Scarlett wears in the famous scene in which she tells Mammy to inform Mr. Butler that she will have no more babies. Making these pieces even more desirable is the fact that both are signed by Plunkett himself."

"Although Walter Plunkett made hundreds of sketches for the costumes in Gone With The Wind," said Smith, "very few of his originals have survived, and are rarely, if ever, offered for sale. This auction represents what may very well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the passionate GWTW fan to obtain these rare and desirable artifacts."

Both Gone With the Wind costume sketches will be auctioned in Heritage's upcoming Movie Poster Signature Auction, to be held March 25 & 26 in Dallas, Texas. They bear pre-auction estimates of $12,000 - $18,000 each.

GWTW "Widow's Weeds" sketch

GWTW "Green Dressing Gown" sketch

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HeritageAuctions.com.

Prospective consignors and sellers of vintage movie posters and related material should contact Grey Smith at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 367, or 214-252-4367, or email GreySm@HeritageAuctions.com.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Nicole Jewell at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272, or visit www.HeritageAuctions.com to order by email.