The Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz is arguably one of the most well-known characters in all of film history. Margaret Hamilton’s costume for the Witch was created by costume designer Adrian. Her costume was used again on an unknown model in 1939 for an MGM Halloween themed promotional shot, which included Judy Garland. The last known time the costume was used was for a short 1941 3D film entitled Three Dimensional Murder, where the costume was seen on Rose Langdon.

When the studio system came to an end, and it was announced that MGM would hold a giant auction in 1970 for their costumes and props, Kent Warner went through the studio’s archives to find some of the most important pieces of film history that still existed. He was not able to find the Wicked Witch’s costume, but he was able to locate her hat.  It sold at the MGM auction in 1970, and then went up for sale again in December of 1988 at Sotheby’s in NY. From 2002 to 2007 the famous hat was on display at the American Film Institute Showcase Exhibition “Villains: Movie Characters You Love to Hate” at Disney – MGM Studios, Walt Disney World, Florida. In 2010, it went up for auction again through Profiles in History, who describe the hat as:

Vintage original Adrian-designed, screen worn signature character hat constructed of black wool bunting fabric with a wide brim and an interior supporting metal hoop. The hat measures 19.5 in. in diameter with a 13.75 in. tall cone-shaped crown situated with a rear bias creating a 6.75 in. wide brim in the front, which extends 5.75 in. in the rear. The hat retains the original black tulle veil that famously trailed behind in the wind, The cotton fabric is sewn over a heavy canvas base. This is the only “Wicked Witch’s” hat that retains an internal MGM Studio bias label just inside the rim, handwritten, “M. Hamilton 4461-164″…The importance of this cinematic icon cannot be overstated.

You can learn more about Kent Warner’s search through the MGM costume archives at Silver Screen Modes. You can also watch a fantastic short video by Profiles in History about the hat itself.  You can also watch Third Dimensional Murder here.

Watch the beloved film The Wizard of Oz here!