Object Details
- Description
- Sixteen-year-old Judy Garland wore these sequined shoes as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 MGM musical film The Wizard of Oz. In the original book by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy's magic slippers are silver; for the Technicolor movie adaptation, costumers created ruby red shoes to sparkle more vividly against the yellow brick road. Dorothy's ruby slippers have become icons of American popular culture, representing the glamor and magic of the classic Hollywood style and American film culture. The ruby slippers also conjure an emotional reaction among fans and visitors to the museum, evoking treasured memories of viewing the film with friends and family, Dorothy’s resonant hero’s journey, and the film’s celebration of values such as friendship, courage, and resilience.
- This pair of ruby slippers is one of four film-worn pairs known to have survived after production wrapped. Scholars believe that as many as seven to ten pairs were made for the film; MGM production records were destroyed so we may never know the exact number. Each pair was made from a commercially available white silk and leather pump manufactured by the Innes Shoe Company. MGM costume craftspeople dyed the shoes red and then sewed rows of red sequins to a silk faille overlay that was then attached to each of the shoes. Each shoe has about 2,400 sequins attached to it. Stiff cotton buckram bows were decorated with red rhinestones and bugle beads and affixed at the vamp topline. Each pair had its sole and heel painted red, and felt was glued to the bottom of most pairs to dampen the sound of footsteps on the wood set floors.
- This pair of ruby slippers is mismatched, with several key differences between the two shoes. The right shoe, size 5BC, has “#1 Judy Garland” written inside, suggesting it is from the #1 pair, while the left shoe, size 5C, has “#6 Judy Garland” written inside. The shapes of quarter heel linings (inner heel grip panels) are different: the right shoe is “V” shaped while the left shoe has an “hourglass” shape. The length of each shoe and height of the throat are slightly different, and the left heel is more slender with a leather ‘cap’ or bottom, while the right is thicker with a rubber/plastic cap. Scholars believe that the #1 pair was intended as the primary pair for non-dance sequences and insert pair for close-up shots, while the #6 pair may have been intended as a backup pair for the same purposes. While it is unclear how, when, and why the pair was mismatched, it may have occurred unintentionally when the pair was brought to auction in 1970. The reciprocal mismatched pair also survives, having long been owned by memorabilia collector Michael Shaw before being stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005, recovered by the FBI in 2018, and then sold at auction in December 2024.
- The Wizard of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1939 musical comedy film adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was a critical and popular success upon its release and has become a classic. Under the direction of Victor Fleming and producer Mervyn LeRoy, the movie was filmed in the expensive Technicolor format with fantastic costumes and sets built to take full advantage of its rich, saturated look. The film featured established stars Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Jack Haley, memorably menacing Margaret Hamilton, and rising star Judy Garland in the role that would launch her career. In a field crowded with classic films released in 1939, The Wizard of Oz won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning Best Original Song for "Over the Rainbow" and Best Original Score. In its frequent television airings and home video releases, The Wizard of Oz may be the most viewed film of all time, and certainly one of the most influential on both moviemaking and popular culture generally.
- Date made
- 1939
- wearer
- Garland, Judy
- designer
- Adrian
- maker
- Adrian
- Place Made
- United States: California, Los Angeles
- related object association proper name
- Wizard of Oz
- general subject association
- Motion Pictures
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
- Popular Entertainment
- National Treasures exhibit
- Exhibition
- Entertainment Nation
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Related Publication
- Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History
- NMAH. Entertainment Nation: How Music, Television, Film, Sports, and Theater Shaped the United States
- Credit Line
- Merle Banta, Fred Carr, and Stephen Hinchliffe
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- ID Number
- 1979.1230.01
- accession number
- 1979.1230
- catalog number
- 1979.1230.01
- Object Name
- shoes, pair of
- Object Type
- Shoes
- Physical Description
- plastic (overall material)
- fabric (overall material)
- fiber, synthetic (overall material)
- adhesive (overall material)
- fabric, felt (overall material)
- Measurements
- one shoe: 5 in x 3 in x 9 1/2 in; 12.7 cm x 7.62 cm x 24.13 cm
- Record ID
- nmah_670130