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Feature
Conserving
Costumes from
Gone With The
Wind
Jill Morena
The Harry Ransom Center at the
University of Texas at Austin
recently completed the
conservation of several iconic
dresses from the 1939 classic
movie, “Gone With the Wind.”
The Assistant Curator for
Costumes and Personal Effects
for this multi-year project
discusses the conservation
process and how the project
was organized.
For over three decades,
five original costumes
worn by Vivien Leigh as
Scarlett O’Hara in the
1939 Hollywood film,
Gone With The Wind
(henceforth referred to
as “GWTW”) have
resided at the Harry
Ransom Center at
The University of
Texas at Austin.
The costumes arrived at the
Ransom Center in 1981 with the acquisition
of the archive of David O. Selznick, the
film’s producer, which includes
correspondence, storyboards, costume
sketches, set models, and administrative
documents on all aspects of film production
and the business activities of Selznick’s
company, Selznick International Productions
(SIP).
The five Scarlett O’Hara
costumes in the Selznick collection
are the green curtain dress (left),
and the green velvet dressing
gown (right), the burgundy ball
gown, the wedding gown and
veil, and the blue velvet
peignoir (next page).
Film costumes were
generally not made to last
beyond use in a production,
nor were they necessarily
cherished by studios.
Decades of general
indifference about
the long-term
value of costumes
from within the
studio system
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Copyright © 2010 Silicon Web Costumers' Guild
ISSN 2153-9022
resulted in many costumes from
Hollywood’s early-to-mid 20th century
output to be lost, discarded, or sold.[1]
Costumes were reused in subsequent
productions (and continue to be recycled
today), often revamped beyond recognition.
The majority of costumes from
GWTW were given to Western
Costume Company for
reuse, while others were
given by Selznick to
organizations,
individuals, or
charities.[2] At the
time of the film’s
release in 1939, the
value of the physical
costume was not, as
expressed by one of
Selznick’s
production
managers, “the
gown itself nearly
as much as it
is the functional
value in
connection with
the campaign,”
meaning
the
May 2010
amount of publicity it could generate for the
film and the studio.[3] This was achieved
mainly through “exploitation tours,” a
common industry practice of loaning out
costumes and props for display at venues
and special events to promote the film.
gowns. The campaign attracted much media
attention, and three weeks after the
announcement, thanks to enthusiastic
supporters and fans from around the world,
the fundraising was complete. The impetus
for the campaign was to ready the costumes
for safe display at the Ransom Center in
anticipation of an exhibition coinciding with
the 75th anniversary of the film in 2014.
The shipping, excessive handling, and
cleaning for these tours took their physical
toll on the costumes. And yet Selznick was
prescient in saving five of Scarlett O’Hara’s
most show-stopping costumes from the film,
retaining them with the rest of SIP
holdings. The interest in
Hollywood costume
and the perception and
visibility of their
cultural and historical
value has steadily
increased since the 1970s.
After a single
viewing of the original
costumes in an
exhibition at The
University of Texas at
Austin in 1983, it was
determined that the
costumes were too fragile
for travel or display.
Since then, the five
original gowns have
remained in
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temperature and humidity controlled storage
at the Ransom Center. For nearly 30 years,
reproductions of four of the five costumes
have served as compelling stand-ins for
the originals.
Preparations for the conservation work
began in fall 2010 with a study of the
stitching and construction of the curtain
dress by Textiles and
Apparel graduate
student Nicole
Villarreal. For
additional
information on
this phase of
the project, see
“Conservation
work begins
on Gone
With The
Wind dresses with
study of stitching
and
construction.”
In August 2010, the
Ransom Center
launched a
campaign to
raise funds to
preserve the five original
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February 2013
As I am not a conservator and did not
perform any of the conservation treatment
work, this article will focus solely on the
aspects of my involvement with the project.
My role has been to consult with the
independent conservator, Cara Varnell, and
other members of the conservation team
(including the Ransom Center’s film curator
and members of the conservation staff) on
decisions to be made concerning the
conservation work, to discover as much as I
could about the history and use of the
costumes, and to assist the conservator in
her work when needed (if a dress had to be
moved or placed on a mannequin, for
example).
More than 180 hours were spent over
the course of two years to complete
treatments on the green curtain dress, the
green velvet dressing
gown, and the
burgundy ball gown.
The wedding gown
and veil and the blue
velvet peignoir with
fox fur trim were
excluded from the
project due to the
extensive amount of
work that would be
required to fix the
existing structural
problems. The initial
estimate for the work
was based on
photographs, as well
as conservation
examinations and
condition
reports from the
1980s.
Film Curator Steve Wilson and Jill Morena, Assistant Curator for
Costumes and Personal Effects, with the original curtain dress
from Gone With The Wind.Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Image
courtesy Harry Ransom Center.
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Fading and discoloration patterns on the curtain dress bodice. Photo by the author.
After careful, in-person
examination by the conservator, it
became apparent that these two
costumes could not be included in the
current scope of work. Combined, the
two costumes could take several
months to treat and would require the
treatment of cracking and splitting fur
on the peignoir, and splitting silk at
weight-bearing areas and disintegrating
net embroidery on the wedding gown,
among other complex and timeconsuming decisions. There are no
current plans to perform conservation
work on these two costumes.
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Restoration and Conservation
Restoration generally involves
considerable intervention that changes or
alters an object with the aim of “returning” it
to an assumed original state. Returning an
object to its “former glory” is an oft-quoted
phrase associated with restoration projects.
This was not the goal of the GWTW project.
We acknowledged that the “original” state of
the costumes, especially the green curtain
dress, is largely unknown.
For example, the mysterious fading and
discoloration on the fabric of the green
curtain dress (above) does not coincide with
the vibrantly colored green gown that we see
onscreen in the film. Contemporary color
February 2013
film with the Technicolor process,
how they would complement the
actor’s eye color, and how nonrepeating, ever-evolving color
combinations in the costumes would
delight and enrapture audiences.
Selznick claimed: “This picture in
particular gives us the opportunity
occasionally—as in our opening
scenes and as in Scarlett’s costumes
—to throw a violent dab of color at
the audience to sharply make a
dramatic point.”[5]
know the “original” state of the color, or any
fading patterns that Plunkett may have
attempted. The current fading and
discoloration of the dress is retained and
accepted as part of the history of the dress.
Our overarching aim was to stabilize
and preserve the gowns as they exist today
through minimal intervention, respecting the
physical integrity of the costumes and the
“life” they have led up to this point in time.
And yet minimal intervention, however
In a dispatch sent to her home
newspaper in Macon, Georgia, Susan
Myrick, a friend of Margaret
Gone With The Wind costume designer Walter Plunkett with the
Mitchell’s and technical adviser on
burgundy ball gown. Image courtesy Harry Ransom Center.
“authentic” Southern life of the
photographs of the gown on or off set do not
period, noted the “trouble” that the color of
exist. The designer, Walter Plunkett, claimed
the green curtain dress caused with the
that he hung the velveteen fabric in the
Technicolor experts in achieving the correct
window to achieve a faded appearance.
shade of green.[6] Although it can be argued
that no film costume looks the same
The choice of fabric was the crucial
offscreen as it does onscreen without the
first step in the design process for Plunkett.
addition of lighting, human movement, and
[4] As a designer greatly concerned with
cinematography, the important role of the
period authenticity as well as a costume’s
Technicolor treatment in the onscreen color
place within the narrative, it makes sense
of the costumes further supports that the
that Plunkett would have faded the fabric;
gown we see onscreen is certainly not the
the dress in both Margaret Mitchell’s novel
physical gown in “real life.”
and Selznick’s film was fashioned out of
curtains. And yet the extreme fading and
discoloration as it exists today is likely not
the fading that Plunkett may have achieved
in 1939.
Selznick was very concerned with how
the colors of the costumes would appear on
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Attempting to re-dye or return the
fabric to its “original” onscreen color would
result in a permanent and irreversible action,
significantly altering the costume as it exists
today. And such a decision would inherently
be an assumption, since we cannot truly
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Conservator Cara Varnell examines the curtain dress
through an optivisor in the paper lab. Photo by Pete Smith.
February 2013
tentative or considered, still involves acting
upon the object and changing it in some
way. There were some instances when
conservation or preservation concerns
caused certain material—even original
material—to be removed. A few of these
decisions will be discussed here.
The Conservation Work—
Environment and Process
The Ransom Center has book, paper,
and photography labs and teams of
conservators for each medium who work
onsite tending to the Center’s collection
material, preparing them for exhibition or
use by patrons in the reading room. The
Ransom Center does not have a textile
conservator on staff. Art conservator Cara
Varnell was selected for the GWTW
conservation project. With more than 30
years of professional experience in textile
conservation, Varnell was chosen in
particular for her extensive work
conserving Hollywood film costumes
from the “Golden Age,” including the
Cowardly Lion costume from The Wizard
of Oz (1939).
Conservators can specialize in a
variety of mediums, including books,
paper, photographs, paintings, and
textiles, and their education and
experience varies according to their area
of expertise. All conservators must have a
strong background in science and the
humanities, an advanced degree with
courses depending upon their area of
specialization, and several years of
apprenticeship under an experienced
mentor.
Varnell’s materials, including adhesive, threads, notebook, and the needle case
made for her mother at age five. Photo by Pete Smith.
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Because the
Ransom Center does not
have a textile lab, the
paper lab was selected as
the area to perform the
work. Due to the
considerable length of
the costumes and the
enormous size of the
skirts, a clean, large, and
well-lit surface was
needed to lay the
costumes out flat and see
details clearly. The paper
conservators often
perform treatments on
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The green velvet dressing gown being placed on a mannequin
for examination by (from left) the author, Varnell, and graduate
student Nicole Villarreal. Photo by Pete Smith.
February 2013
garment, its construction and fabric, and
the intended goals of the treatment.
For example, a thick, heavy, cotton
thread should never be used to support a
weak area in a fragile silk gown. The
mechanical action of sewing through
the fabric, as well as the diameter and
roughness of the thread, will eventually
pull apart the warp and weft of the
weave and weaken the area over time.
Most of the conservation work is
large objects such as maps and posters, so
the generously-sized tables in the paper lab
were ideally suited. The tables were covered
in unbleached, unsized sheets of cotton
muslin and made available for the GWTW
project .
The textile conservator can have many
tools and techniques at her disposal,
including different types of support fabrics,
sewing thread, and archival adhesives to aid
in supporting fragile fabrics (which are
always tested and evaluated for their
compatibility with the object before using).
If stitches or sewing of any kind is
needed for a conservation treatment on a
historical garment, it is nearly always done
by hand. There is too much risk for damage
to a fragile garment from the tension and
mechanical power of a machine. There are a
variety of stitches that conservators learn
during their training and experience, and
their choice of stitch and the type of thread
will depend upon the condition of the
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costumes. An example of this is three
strained areas at the back seams near the
waistline on the green velvet dressing gown.
The entire weight of the skirt and train
hangs from these three pleats, and gravity
had taken its toll over time. Previous old
repairs had proven inadequate in supporting
the pleats (left ); the stitches pulled at the
already fragile velvet pile (center). The old
repairs were removed from the pleats
(below). The method of the previous repair
—the size of thread and needle used—
exacerbated the original damage. Now there
were not only significant splits and multiple
tiny holes in the fabric but also a loss of the
fragile silk pile.
Supporting these areas and remedying
the strain using conservation techniques was
a particularly tricky and delicate task for the
conservator. The tiny pleats are made up of
two folds pulled together and sewn over the
seam, making four layers of fabric over a
seam, with two fabric layers on each side.
Further complicating the matter was a
not readily apparent to the eye when
viewing the costume on a mannequin.
Sometimes the work may not
necessarily improve the aesthetic
appearance of the fabric. For example,
once the pile of silk velvet is gone, it is
gone. In the case of the GWTW project
the work often consisted of supporting
weak areas on the interior of the
gowns, especially areas vulnerable to
the stress and strain of gravity from the
heavy skirts present on all three
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February 2013
the yellow silk lining, without
releasing any original construction
stitches (below). This was a task
completed very slowly and
carefully. Although the finished
treatment does not change the
appearance of the lost velvet pile,
this crucial stress-bearing area is
now much more stable and
supported (right).
Historical Dress and Film
Costume
A patch of support fabric is pinned into place, where the weak area
will be supported and the seam re-sewn.
It is important to remember
that many of the costumes in
GWTW do not necessarily reflect
the cut and construction of
historical costumes of the period,
Finished treatment as seen from the exterior, with new internal
support underneath and new supportive stitches.
construction technique used to help control
the shape at the back: the seam allowance
was snipped right up to the stitches holding
pleats. Because of this construction, the
delicate fabric gave out over time and began
to tear from the weight of the skirt.
Each layer of the three pleats and the
seams underneath required individual
support with a fabric so fine that it would
not interfere with the garment’s structure
and final look, and stitched with thread
strong enough to hold it but thin enough to
require using only the smallest needle
(above).
This process was difficult not only
because the areas were so small and fragile
but also because it required turning the
garment essentially inside out and working
between the delicate green silk velvet and
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Varnell prepares to examine the weak areas between the silk lining and the silk velvet.
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but instead are 19th -century costumes
filtered through a 1930s sensibility.
Therefore, it was unnecessary to consult
gowns of the period when determining the
correct shape or silhouette of a gown.
Instead, the appearance of the costumes on
film, in film stills, and on-set photographs
were studied.
Although Plunkett was a designer very
concerned with period accuracy and
authenticity, he also allowed his creativity
and imagination to flourish with Scarlett’s
costumes, given the narrative arc of the
scene and the overall interpretation of the
character. This deviation from historical
accuracy also represented a compromise
with Selznick, who was concerned with
fidelity to Mitchell’s novel, first
published in 1936, as well as
the desire for awe-inspiring,
glamorous costumes.
Correct underpinnings have the dual duty of
adequately supporting the costume during
display and creating the correct shape for the
dress. In addition to these responsibilities,
the underpinnings must be relatively
lightweight and simple to dress. Anything
that is too heavy or complicated will make
the costume difficult to move and place in
the gallery, and may put the costume in
danger. In other words, an exact replica of a
period petticoat or hoop skirt is not needed
but can be modified based on the desired
overall look and structural needs of the film
costume.
Dance and Textiles and Apparel. For
example, the petticoat underneath the ball
gown was constructed from a lightweight,
unbleached cotto:n muslin and mediumweight nylon net. A smaller “bustle bump”
was created and placed over the backside,
which would add support for the bustle. This
was secured to the petticoat with Velcro for
ease and efficiency. Because the netting
could be abrasive or catch on the velvet or
taffeta underskirt, an additional overskirt
was placed over the petticoat to provide both
protection and a streamlined look
underneath the silk velvet (next page).
Custom underpinnings for the gowns
were created by students from the
University’s Departments of Theater and
Preservation and Access
The burgundy ball gown,
glimpsed for less than a minute
of screen time, is a slinky,
streamlined, screen goddess
version of an 1870s evening
gown. The back bustle (not
seen onscreen) is not
constructed the way a bustle
from this period would be. It is
more like a small “pouf” of
gathered fabric (right).
The weight of the fabric of
the skirt and train hangs on the
delicate waistline of the dress,
as well as the fragile “bustle.”
One particular decision in the
conservation process resulted in the removal
of original material—a decision
that is never taken lightly. Such
decisions hinge on concerns for
the safety of the dress and longterm preservation, and take into
consideration the balance
between access and
preservation.
At the hem of the
burgundy ball gown, lead
weights were sewn into
compartments to control the
movement of the silk velvet and
enhance the beauty of the train
when the gown was worn by
Leigh. Interestingly, the back of
the gown is never glimpsed
onscreen. These lead weights
make sense when the gown is to
Close-up detail of burgundy ball gown “bustle”.
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February 2013
be worn by a human being, but once a
costume enters a museum collection or other
public institution, it undergoes a
transformation. It ceases to function as a
wearable garment that moves and responds
to a human body, and instead becomes an
object to be viewed and studied in a
generally static state. It is the institution's
charge to preserve the garment for future
generations, and there is also a responsibility
to make items available to the public to
view.
A decision had to be made to either
remove the weights and allow the gown to
be safely displayed, or retain the original
weights in the hem of the gown and thus
eliminate or severely limit options for future
public display. There was already strain at
the waistline where the weights had pulled
most dramatically. When a gown is packed
and unpacked out of its storage container
and dressed on a mannequin, both the
mechanical action of handling the garment
as well as the pull of gravity once displayed
places considerable strain on the garment.
Retention of the weights would result
in further, inevitable damage at the gown's
vulnerable areas were it to be exhibited,
while the removal of the weights would
greatly decrease any further damage to the
gown when it would be handled and
displayed in the future. Once it was decided
to remove the weights, only the smallest
amount of thread was removed, just enough
to slip the weight out from the bottom of its
compartment (next page).
The weights have been kept, and the
original location of the weights on the train
was recorded. If for any reason in the future
it is decided that the weights should be
returned to their compartments, there will be
a clear map to do so based on the record of
their original placement. Striking a carefully
considered balance between preservation of
the garment and public access and
enjoyment influenced this decision.
Half-scale mock-up of petticoat (left) and overskirt (right) for ball gown, created by student Alexandra O’Reilly.
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Removing and preserving weights from compartments
at the train of the ball gown.
The conservation work allowed the
burgundy ball gown and the green curtain
dress to be displayed in the exhibition
Hollywood Costume at the Victoria and
Albert Museum from October 20, 2012,
through January 27, 2013. The dresses have
been stabilized and supported to prolong
their "life" and to be displayed again, but
they are certainly not “brand new,” as when
they were fresh on the film set in 1939. That
point in time can never be recovered.
Humanities Research Center, 1986) p. 5154.
The dresses will remain in this
condition as long as they are carefully
handled and displayed in moderation, and
are stored in temperature and humidity
controlled conditions. With these guidelines,
the gowns will be enjoyed for many
generations to come.
5
Notes
1
Conclusion
This article discusses only a few
examples of the decision-making process
and the conservation work performed on the
three gowns. A more detailed account and
description of the conservation work
performed on the green curtain dress, the
burgundy ball gown, and the green velvet
dressing gown can be found on the Ransom
Center website at “Conservation work
completed on Gone With The Wind
costumes,” along with four videos
discussing certain aspects of the
conservation process.
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For more information on the various fates
befalling 20th -century film costume (and
particularly for information on the 1970
MGM auction), see “The ruby slippers, the
trenchcoat, and the lion’s suit”, in Dale
McConathy and Diana Vreeland, Hollywood
Costume: Glamour! Glitter! Romance!,
(New York: Abrams, 1976) p. 25-32; also
see a series of essays on “Collectors and
Collecting” in Hollywood Costume, edited
by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, (London:
V&A Publishing, 2012) p. 176-261.
2
See Cynthia George, “From Innocence to
Grandeur: The Costumes of Gone With the
Wind,” The Library Chronicle, New Series
36, (Austin, Texas: Harry Ransom
-19-
3
Memo from R.A. Klune to Miss
Katherine Brown, November 21, 1939. Jock
Whitney Papers 29.13, Harry Ransom
Center.
4
Margaret J. Bailey, Those Glorious
Glamour Years: Classic Hollywood
Costume Design of the 1930s, (London:
Columbus Books, 1988) p. 20.
Memo from David O. Selznick to R.A.
Klune, March 13, 1939. David O. Selznick
Collection, 193.9, Harry Ransom Center.
6
Susan Myrick, White Columns in
Hollywood: Reports from the GWTW Sets,
edited by R. Harwell, (Macon: Mercer
University Press, 1982) p. 190.
Jill Morena is the Assistant Curator for
Costumes and Personal Effects at the Harry
Ransom Center at the University of Texas at
Austin. She holds an MA in Art History with
a focus on the intersection of 20th century
art and fashion. She is currently pursuing
an MSIS in the School of Information with
an interest in preservation, documentation,
and representation of costume and clothing
in museums and archives.
GWTW Online Exhibit
The GWTW online exhibit by
the Harry Ransom Center
provides access to resources
including costumes and
makeup from the David O.
Selznick collection.
February 2013