
This auction has ended. View lot details
You may also be interested in
Lot 1042
A Walter Plunkett costume sketch for Belle Watling in Gone With the Wind
10 December 2019, 14:00 PST
Los AngelesSold for US$5,325 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Popular Culture specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot


Client Services (San Francisco)

Client Services (Los Angeles)

Client Services (New York)
A Walter Plunkett costume sketch for Belle Watling in Gone With the Wind
MGM, 1939. Watercolor on board, signed ("Plunkett") in lower right-hand corner, stamped "Selznick International Pictures" on the reverse, matted and framed. As the costume designer for Gone With the Wind, an epic civil war drama which required elaborate designs utilizing hoopskirts, crinolines, and corsets, Walter Plunkett designed thousands of costumes. This sketch was designed for the character of Belle Watling, the good-natured madam of the Atlanta brothel, brilliantly played by Ona Munson in the most memorable role of her career. In order to further distance Watling from the "respectable" characters such as Melanie and Scarlett, Academy Award®-winner Plunkett designed a more garish wardrobe with brighter colors and brassy accoutrements. The costume shown here is not seen in the film and likely was one of many Plunkett masterpieces that landed on the cutting room floor.
Provenance: the collection of Tom Heyes.
Overall: 20 x 25 in.; within mat: 14.5 x 19.5 in.
Provenance: the collection of Tom Heyes.
Overall: 20 x 25 in.; within mat: 14.5 x 19.5 in.


















