A blue-and-white gingham dress believed to have been worn by Judy Garland in the classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” has been found on top of mailboxes in the drama department at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
The dress had been missing for decades after being gifted in the early 1970s, according to a statement released by the university.
Matt Ripa, lecturer and operations coordinator for the drama department at the school, had heard rumors that the dress was in the Hartke building where he worked. He began to search high and low for the costume, almost giving up before he spotted a bag on top of the mailboxes.
“I was curious what was inside and opened the bag. Inside was a shoebox, and inside the shoebox was the dress! I couldn’t believe it,” Ripa said in the statement. “My co-worker and I quickly grabbed some gloves and looked at the dress and took some pictures before putting it back in the box and heading over to the (University) Archives. Needless to say, I have found many interesting things in Hartke during my time at Catholic University, but I think this one takes the cake!”
The dress had been given to the Rev. Gilbert Hartke, head of the drama program, by actor Mercedes McCambridge, according to a 1973 story in the university’s Tower newspaper. McCambridge had served as artist-in-residence the year prior and was a contemporary of Garland’s, the university said. The gift was meant to be a source of “hope, strength, and courage” to students.
The university said it didn’t know where McCambridge got the dress, but she and Garland were thought to be friends.
“As archivists, we were obliged to work on gaining additional documentation for this popular culture national treasure,” said Maria Mazzenga, Ph.D. 2000, curator of the American Catholic History Collections at Catholic University. “We have several photos of Father Hartke holding the dress, and articles from The Tower and The Washington Post referencing it. So the circumstantial evidence is strong.”
The iconic dress will be kept in the University’s Special Collections, where it can now be properly stored in a temperature- and humidity-controlled setting, according to Catholic University.
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