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The Golden Age of Hollywood
Lot 231

A Katharine Hepburn personal rotary phone

14 May 2019, 13:00 PDT
Los Angeles

Sold for US$1,211.25 inc. premium

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A Katharine Hepburn personal rotary phone

Black telephone with a rotary dial, clear plastic volume control, and electric cord, with original Sotheby's tag attached. Hepburn used this phone in either her New York townhouse or the home she owned in the Fenwick section of Connecticut. The Fenwick home originated with her parents, and Hepburn rebuilt on the land after a 1938 hurricane destroyed the house. Hepburn took a swim on her private beach every morning no matter the temperature, even as a nonagenarian. In her autobiography, Hepburn writes about having two phones, always including one for Spencer Tracy.
Provenance: Property from the Estate of Katharine Hepburn, Sotheby's, New York, June 10 & 11, 2004, Lot 477.
4.5 x 8.5 x 9.5 in.

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