Gone With The Wind Museum: The Beautiful Dresses, Furniture & Collectible Memorabilia

Gone With Wind Museum

Recently when a friend was in town, we visited the Gone With The Wind Museum in Marietta, Georgia. The museum opened in June 2002 inside a former cotton warehouse and carriage stable that dates back to 1875. Many of the collectibles found inside the museum belong to Dr. Christopher Sullivan, a physician from Akron, Ohio.

Dr. Sullivan read the book, Gone With The Wind, and saw the movie as a child. He enjoyed it so much, he began collecting memorabilia from the movie. His extensive collection has been displayed in various places over the years but it now has a permanent home in Marietta where fans of the book/movie visit from all over the world.

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The movie, Gone With The Wind, starring Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara, is an “American epic historical romance film” per Wikipedia. The movie premiered in Atlanta at Loew’s Grand in 1939, having been adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel of the same name.

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Photo from Wikipedia and in Public Domain

 

I know this is going to sound a little weird since I was born and raised right her in Georgia, but I was never really a fan of the movie. I had heard about it my whole life but didn’t see it until I was grown when it came out in the theaters again. I disliked the character of Scarlett so much, it kind of ruined the movie for me.

I did very much enjoy the museum tour, though. It was great getting to see all the memorabilia and beautiful dresses from the movie and I would recommend this tour to anyone who is even slightly curious.

There could not be a better place for viewing this amazing collection than in this building. The minute you walk through the door, you know this isn’t going to be your typical “museum” tour. During the tour, you’re surrounded by exposed brick, 1875 original wood flooring and wonderful, old rough-hew beams overhead. It really feels like another world, like you’ve been transported back in a Gone With The Wind time machine. The collection definitely makes a bigger impact here than it would inside some sterile, 21st century building.

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As we walked through the double doors to enter the building, we saw this on the door leading into the museum.

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This now famous image was featured back in the day on the posters advertising the movie. It’s such an iconic scene and poster that it’s often referred to as to as the “flaming embrace” poster. I haven’t seen the movie in ages so I can’t remember exactly what scene it’s from, but it depicts Atlanta burning in the background as Rhett carries Scarlett away to safety. It’s romantic, scary and sad–all at the same time.

Update: It appears this may not be an actual scene from the movie, but a compilation of Rhett and Scarlet superimposed in front of Atlanta in flames, as an advertisement for the movie.

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Further inside the museum were t-shirts that were available to purchase. There were many additional items for sale in the small gift shop area toward the end of the tour.

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In addition to some of the true collectibles and artifacts from the movie, there were several reproduction dresses. My favorite part of the tour were the dresses and costumes from the movie. This dress is a reproduction of the dress Scarlett was wearing in the first scene where the boys are all fawning over her and begging her to add them to her dance card for an upcoming party.

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I’ve read stories about people traveling to Atlanta in search of the real Tara only to find it doesn’t actually exist. The set for Tara was believed to have been built based on some of the homes here in Georgia. I can totally see that because there are a lot of homes in Georgia, especially in some of the smaller towns you pass through when taking the backroads, that look very much like Tara. The Greek Revival style was very popular  in Georgia from the 1840s to the 1860s.  Per THIS article, it became the first architectural style to appear state-wide across Georgia.

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I didn’t remember Tara having attachments or dependents on either side as we see here in the model. It’s been ages since I saw the movie. Do you remember those?

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I think my favorite dress in the movie was this one shown here in reproduction. Scarlett wore it in the infamous scene where she’s getting dressed for a barbecue. If you search for “Gone With The Wind” on YouTube, you’ll find lots of scenes featured there, including the one where Scarlett puts on this dress. It’s the scene where we learn that women are never supposed to show their bosom before 3 pm. 🙂

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Here’s a little close-up…love the color and pattern!

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Here’s another reproduction dress…not sure when this one appears in the movie. Any Gone With The Wind movie buffs know?

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There’s an area in the museum devoted to photos and information about Butterfly McQueen who played Prissy in the movie These photos were taken by Joe M. McTyre, a former Atlanta Journal and Constitution photographer.  They show the real personality of Butterfly, which is very different from the character she played in the movie.

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There were several photos of Margaret Mitchell in the museum, including the one below on the left where she’s carrying a big bottle of champagne. The sign below it says, “Margaret Mitchell was asked to attend the commissioning of the Navy Battleship, The U.S.S. Atlanta on December 24, 1941 at the Navy Shipyard in Kearny, New Jersey. Miss Mitchell is pictured above holding the bottle of champagne with which she later christened the ship.” 

The center photo shows Miss Mitchell posing in her home library, behind her a display of the many foreign editions of her book, Gone With The Wind. Many of those books are currently on display in the museum. It was really interesting seeing all the covers for the foreign editions.

In the photo below on the right, Margaret Mitchell is standing beside Captain Samuel P. Jenkins who was badly injured when the U.S.S. was sunk at the Guadalcanal in 1942. The sign says, “Note that Miss Mitchell, a full-time volunteer for the American Red Cross, proudly wears her uniform in the photo as was often the case.”

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More memorabilia about the movie…

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Several years ago a friend and I went on a home tour in Atlanta that included a tour of the apartment that Margaret Mitchell was living in during the time she was writing, Gone With The Wind. The tour was a bit disappointing, not a lot to see in the apartment, but I did learn a shocking fact on that tour. Did you know that Margaret Mitchell died from injuries she received when she was hit by an off-duty cab driver on Peachtree Street? I had no idea! Apparently she was crossing the road with her husband, John Marsh, when the accident happened. I think they were on their way to see a movie.

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I tried to photograph this newspaper so you could read some of it if you wish, but it was either laminated or inside something to protect it, so it was wreaking havoc with my camera. If you click CTRL + a few times on your keyboard, it will enlarge the screen so you can read some of it. Just hit CTRL 0 (zero) once you’re done and your screen will go back to normal.

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The real, actual artifacts and costumes from the movie were all behind glass where they were protected. It made it difficult to photograph them, but hope you can see them well enough to get an idea of how they looked and what’s on display in the museum.

These chairs appear in several scenes in the movie. The sign indicated they appeared in the background of Scarlett’s final scene in the movie when she declares that she’ll find some way to get Rhett back.  They also  appeared as “head” chairs in a dining room in the movie.

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This dress, often referred to as the Bengaline Honeymoon Gown, is the actual dress Vivien Leigh wore in the movie. It has been copied many times over the years. ” I read somewhere that the reason it’s such an odd color is because this “ecru” color would appear white on the big screen. Weird, huh?

The sign nearby said, “This gown was worn by Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in MGM’s romantic epic Gone With The Wind. The gown was designed by Walter Plunkett and has reproduced many time for dolls and other memorabilia associate with the film. The hat is an exact reproduction of the original which was design by Mr. John.” The sign goes on to share information about Vivien Leigh’s career ending with this: “Leigh won two Academy Award for Best Actress for Gone With Wind (1939) and as Blanch DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).”

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Here’s how the dress looked on Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) in the movie.

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Photo from Wikipedia in Public Domain

 

I think this may have been worn underneath the dress since it was nearby.

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Another actual piece from the movie was this beautiful jacket worn by the character Ashley, played by Leslie Howard. At first I thought it was a smoking jacket but in the picture above the jacket, it appears to be a tuxedo.

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This is another well-known dress from the movie. In the movie, Rhett is angry with Scarlett for her behavior toward Ashley and insists she wear this crimson dress to a party she’s invited to at Melanie and Ashley’s home. He tells her to be sure to wear plenty of rouge too so she can play her part. Do you remember that scene? Again, all these scenes can be found on YouTube.

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Hope you enjoyed this tour through the Gone With The Wind Museum. I think I may visit it again some day, I know I missed a lot. There was just so much to read and see, too much to capture it all in the hour or so we were there. I definitely recommend visiting it if you’re ever in the Atlanta or Marietta, Georgia area.

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Comments

  1. Love this post Susan! I love GWTW – it is my all time favorite movie! The dress you were asking about in your post was worn by Scarlett the day after Christmas when Ashley has to return to the war. Scarlett gives Ashley a sash that she made to go with the tunic that Melanie made for him. It was during this scene that Scarlett promises Ashley that she will look after Melanie while he is away at war. Thanks for sharing this virtual tour of the museum!

  2. Thank you for sharing this, very interesting. I am with you on the film. I did not like the character either and the film is a very long one.

    • I read that the book is over 1,000 pages long and the movie when it first came out was over 4 hours long! They must have had to have an intermission or two when it was in the theaters initially.

  3. That was fun. Did you happen to see the curtain dress, lol? (the one Carol Burnett made famous in her GWTW spoof?)

    • lol I don’t think they had it there in full size, but I believe they had photos. That Carol Burnett spoof is still one of my faves. It’s the curtain rod across the shoulders that makes it especially hilarious! When I was watching some of the clips again at YouTube, I was wondering how Scarlett could have hoped to pass it off as a real dress because it even looked like drapery on her without the curtain rod. The gold curtain-style fringe was the dead giveaway. lol

  4. Nancy Corson says

    Loved the tour, Susan! But, I must say I felt a little offended when you admitted you haven’t been a fan of the movie. Ha. One night we were watching the movie on television in Ohio. My little 5 year-old son was sitting in his grandmother’s lap. After watching for a while and a bit confused, he said, “Wait a minute. Which ones are the bad guys?” Being from Texas, we were so surprised by his question that I’m not sure he ever got a good answer.

    • That is so adorable what your son said. I LOVE that! So cute! I bet you guys died laughing! 🙂

      Sorry, Nancy, didn’t mean to upset you. I wish I was a fan but I guess the movie had been so built up in my mind over the years from hearing folks talk about it, that when I actually saw it, I found it really sad and depressing.

      I’ll admit that I’m weird. I just don’t like the typical movies most folks like, which is why I almost never go to the theater with friends. We can never agree on a movie to see.

      I have a very, very limited number of movies that I like. I like movies that are uplifting or funny, and movies where the characters are people you would love to know in real life. I love to leave the theater with a big smile on my face and feeling inspired. I love great scenery, music or costumes and love a happy ending. I don’t like a lot of drama, death, children dying (like Bonnie in GWTW) etc… I just love to escape and be entertained when I watch a movie and GWTW to me was really sad, although it had a lot of great costumes. Scarlett is definitely not a person I’d want to know in real life. Melanie was, though.

      Some of my favorite movies are Waking Ned Divine, The Red Violin and The Thomas Crown Affair. Wish they made more movies like those.

      I’d love to see the movie, Sully that’s out in the theaters right now, will definitely watch that when it comes out on DVD if I haven’t seen it already.

      • We enjoyed Sully more than expected. Have to say my personal types of movies are dramas & romantic-comedies (with emphasis on romantic). When our 13 year old grandson was visiting, one day he chose that afternoon’s movie (sure it was action based) and the next day was my choice. My choice was “Gone With The Wind.” When “Intermission” came up, he dramatically fell back on the sofa, threw a pillow up to fall on his head, and said “Oh no, there’s more!” He did finish it with me. What a great grandson,

  5. Thank you for sharing this museum. I want to stop next time we go through Georgia. I have seen signs for Marietta on Route 75. I can find it!!! I attended an exhibit of dresses that Katharine Hepburn wore in various films. The colors were atrocious. They had black and white stills, as well as colorized movie posters next to the gowns to show how they photograph. Most black gowns were actually red which photographs as a rich black. There was one with random bright yellow and red patches. It looked totally different in the movie and was colored in totally different colors in the posters, too. I was amazed by some of the fabrics, too. Several were cheap and gaudy, but looked so rich on the screen. Fascinating!

    • That is so interesting! Amazing how they had to choose the colors that would translate out to the screen. The Bengaline Honeymoon dress that’s such a dull ecru color, actually has a wide panel down the front that’s a different shade, like a lighter cream color. I read that on the screen it looked like the rest of the dress but gave the dress more depth. What a challenge it must have been to create the costumes back then, having to worry about all of that!

    • Merry, meant to add, to find the museum, just ask anyone how to get to the Marietta Square. It’s on the backside of the square, facing the railroad tracks. You’ll enjoy the square, too! There are several restaurants, antique stores, etc… so you can make a day of it. Oh, and just about a block away is the French restaurant I ate in recently called Douceur de France. The Mexican restaurant, La Parrilla is nearby too, and it’s good. I really like Shillings on the Square, as well.

  6. Fun post, I have loved the book since first reading it in 8th grade. I enjoyed the movie, but prefer the book because the movie had to leave things out (Scarlett’s other two children, for example). The picture of Rhett carrying Scarlett is not of him carrying her to safety, but carrying her up the stairs in their mansion where he proceeds to ravish her (with her willing compliance after some passionate kisses). I think Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh were perfectly cast, there could never be a remake worthy of the original 🙂

    • Yeah, it seems books are always so much better than the movie. I’ve never read the book so had no idea Scarlett had other children. Were they all with Rhett?

      • She had one child each with her first two husbands (a boy with Charles Hamilton and a girl with Frank Kennedy). It was the first book I read where the hero/heroine weren’t very heroic – not all bad, but more like real people with strengths and failings. It was also my first introduction to a story that didn’t have a ‘happily ever after’ ending. As a young girl, I just *knew* Scarlett would eventually get her man back. As a woman of, ahem, a certain age, I’m certain Scarlett could live a happy life (by her standards) with or without Rhett. 🙂

        • Well said! Wisdom comes with age. 🙂

        • Scarlett. She had kids she did want with men she didn’t love. Her selfish ambition took what didn’t belong to her to the detriment of all involved. I like to think that with her cunning, she could have let her sister marry Frank and still be able to save the family home and run a successful business. Such a good book!!! We probably all have parts of human nature we’d like to rewrite in ourselves and others.

          • Yep, I’m sure that’s true. After I wrote this post, I watched a documentary and read a few articles about Vivien Leigh and sadly she suffered badly with mental illness, dying at age 53 from tuberculosis. Ironically, her relationships with men in real life, were as complicated as Scarlett’s were in the movie.

  7. Corene Johnson says

    Love this! I absolutely love Gone with the Wind.

  8. This is My favorite movie and heroine. Remember WHO saved her farm and her family and helped to revitalize Atlanta because she was not a shrinking violet?? Yup, Scarlett!! Maybe she was abrasive, but she had to create a role for herself and bravely push on, so no one went hungry. She is my Hero, esp “I’ll think about that tomorrow”. Do what is in front of you and take one step at a time toward what has to be done, right?

  9. Eileen Jalet says

    I thought there was something wrong with me as everyone loved the movie and I always said “it’s ok”. but, the Scarlett (harlot) dress I have to admit was my favorite!!!

    • Well, I guess there’s something wrong with me, too. lol I never like the movies that most folks do, so you can’t judge a movie by me. 🙂

  10. Love the movie and the book. Thank you for the tour. I knew that Margaret Mitchell had been hit by a car.

    You can’t show your BOSOM before 3 o’clock.

    • Oh, yeah…it was bosom. I was thinking it was shoulders because she kept yanking the sleeves up over her shoulders in the clip I saw at YouTube. lol

  11. The movie is my all time favorite. I first saw it as a child in the theater and Scarlett inspired me. She was faced with so many obstacles but managed to survive. Her family would have all starved if not for her. Yes, she was a spoiled, selfish, ruthlessly flawed character but in spite of the horrors, she managed to live. I do wish she had been a bit kinder but that was Scarlett.
    Anyway, thank you for taking the close-up picture of the white and green barbecue dress. It showed the machine zig-zag stitching on the ruffle. Obviously a reproduction and not what a rich plantation lady would have worn; hers would have been hand stitched by slaves, sad but true. I love to sew and always look closely at the stitches. They tell a story.
    Thank you for posting the tour, hopefully, I can go there some day and see it for myself.

  12. Linda Page says

    I loved this museum. Your pictures turned out great. For Rita C at Panoply, the curtain dress is only shown on a doll at the museum but there is a designer sketch by Bob Mackie of Carol Burnett dressed as Miss Starlett from the Carol Burnett show. I have sent CD pictures that I took to Susan and I have a picture of the doll and the designer sketch so maybe Susan will share those once she gets the CD. For anyone going to the Atlanta area, be sure to go to the GWTW museum. It is worth the trip!

  13. Cyndi Raines says

    Thank you Susan. Enjoyed the post very much. I do like the movie and I understand why you don’t like Scarlett – she is such a brat! My husband can’t stand her either! haha. He won’t watch the movie with me even though he is interested in the Civil war. I have a hard time with Ashely – he is such a wimp. My favorite character is Rhett. He is a man’s man and I like the fact that he’s a “northern-er” – ha. I think Vivian Leigh is a beautiful lady and plays her part to the max. No wonder she received an Academy Award. If we ever do make it to the Atlanta area, I will see this museum for sure. Lastly, my favorite dress is the “curtain dress” that Rita mentioned and YES every time I see it now in the movie we crack up remembering Carol Burnett’s spoof. Too funny!

    • She definitely played the part of Scarlett perfectly, can’t imagine two actors better for the parts of Scarlett and Rhett than Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. lol I know, I love Carol Burnett and grew up watching her on TV. She is such a fine person, too…so giving to her fans. I love seeing her interviewed because you can tell what a beautiful person she is, inside and out.

  14. Love the CBurnett GWTW spoof!

    But, gals, as a history buff I have to say I loved the movie, and have seen it so many times I can’t remember–but has to be over 30 or 40–now that’s a movie nut.
    I grew up in Decatur, GA and thus know a lot about the Battle of Atlanta, our town was so close. I am on a local history board, and if you want to know about the “real Scarlett O’Hara” there is a book to read–“Life in Dixie During the War” by Mary Gay. She was in Decatur while Atlanta was under siege and has a story or two to tell. Her house has been preserved and was moved to a history area in Decatur:
    The book on Amazon–there may be limited editions–but libraries may have a copy. You can go to the Amazon site and read a synopsis:
    https://www.amazon.com/Life-Dixie-During-Civil-Georgia/dp/0865547491
    Happy reading, history buffs!

    • I’m a Georgia girl, too…born and raised here…but not much of a history buff, especially when it come to wars. Wonder if that’s who Margaret Mitchell was thinking about when she wrote her book. There are definitely a lot of “steel magnolias” in the south.

  15. This was SO GOOD to know!! Thanks!!! franki

  16. I think I did see the movie once, but only after I had read the book MANY times! Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh were perfectly cast, in fact the whole movie was well cast. It is one of my favorite books, and as is often the case, the movie just can’t capture the character development the way the book did. The costumes are gorgeous, though.

    • Can you imagine what those dresses must have cost back in the day! They were so elaborate and had so much fabric, they would have had to cost a pretty penny to sew. My favorite is the green floral one she wears to the barbecue, so perfect for a hot Georgia summer. I’d be terrified to eat barbecue in it, though. 🙂

  17. Thanks for sharing this tour of a lovely museum! Now I will share one with you and your followers. There is a very nice Gone With The Wind museum in Jefferson, Texas (about 30 miles south of Atlanta, Texas.) Visit it online at http://www.scarlettohardy.com/MuseumTour.htm You won’t be disappointed.

    • Kay, that is such an interesting site! I wish the pictures were bigger, I had trouble seeing them. Wonder if she’s posted them in a larger size elsewhere.

  18. Thanks Susan, I loved this post. GWTW is one of my most loved movies. Regarding the picture on the movie poster. I don’t recall that in the “burning Atlanta” scene. I’m guessing it is a composite made especially for promotion of the movie. Lots of GWTW experts have posted replies so maybe they can shed some light on that picture. Okay I did some checking. Posters were created every time the movie was “re-released.” The poster you shared with us is from the 1968 re-release of the movie. I wasn’t able to find out if the picture is from a scene in the movie. Vikki in VA

    • I think you’re right, Vikki. I searched online yesterday and some more this morning to see if I could find which scene it was from and can’t find it in any of the scenes I found online and on YouTube.

  19. Marlene Stephenson says

    It was a great movie, i truly enjoyed this museum and all the things in it. I t was a very hard time and the movie told the story very well.

  20. Your post caught my eye because I happen to be reading Gone with the Wind for the FIRST time now! I had seen the movie a long time ago but never read the book. I was inspired to read it after finishing the novel, Stars Over Sunset Blvd by Susan Meissner which is a fictional story that centers around the making of the movie, Gone with the Wind. I never knew this museum existed but it looks quite fascinating! Thanks for taking us on a tour!
    Shelley

  21. Love this post! I have loved GWTW since receiving the novel on my 17th birthday. Can’t even count the times I have read the book, or watched the movie! It was fun to see the replicated costumes. My only complaint is that the skirts were not nearly WIDE enough. I remember being astounded by the size of the hoop skirts in the movie. I have even read that plantation homes had such large doorways and staircases to allow for ladies to move around comfortably because their skirts were so wide. Any truth to that, do you think? Thanks for such a fun post. I’d love to see the museum. Rosie

    • That’s a good question, I’m not sure but I always got the impression that they wore more normal dresses when at home and that the big hoop dresses were for special occasions like parties, etc… I think some of the reproduction dresses were for sale, which is perfect timing since Halloween is coming up. I remember seeing a price tag on one and didn’t think the price was that bad. So some of those reproduction dresses may have been created to sell and maybe they figured folks wouldn’t want them too, too big. I guess you could wear a bigger hoop or petticoat under them to make them even fuller. Can you imagine wearing one to a Halloween party, you would knock everyone over when you entered the room/house. 🙂

    • I toured a plantation in South Carolina. The doorway to the room the men smoked in purposely had narrow doorways to keep the ladies (with their wide hoops) out of that room! If I remember, it was Boone Hall Plantation.

  22. Susan, I need to visit the museum! I love the movie and the book…Scarlett was a complicated character, but Vivian Leigh who was English did a terrific job playing the part of a Southern belle! Thanks for the tour! Pam @ Everday Living

  23. Can’t wait to visit this museum! Thanks for sharing. As for the poster; that scene is when Rhett carries Scarlett upstairs after a big fight in the dining room, the famous night she wore the red dress. It is superimposed over the scene from the night Rhett stole a horse and buggy, rescuing Melanie, her baby, Prissy and Scarlett, driving them thru burning Atlanta in the background. Great comments on this post!

  24. This was a delightful. I would love to take the tour. Scarlett was one of those people I can admire but not particularly like. In a time when women had no rights, she used every weapon in her arsenal to get her family and others through the aftermath of the civil war. Bella Abzug could have taken a few lessons. You don’t always have to bulldoze your way through to get results. I never understood what she saw in ashy Ashley, but considering Scarlett was about 18 when the movie opens, I’ll chalk it up to youth and first love.

    I don’t know how Georgia or the Carolinas ever forgave Sherman. Whatever words he used to try to justify it, it was a war against civilians. I remember Ken Burns talking about his documentary on the civil war and he said Sherman’s battle was against women, children, and old people, not armies.

  25. Scarlett was not someone to befriend, but you’d certainly want her on your side. The ecru dress done to appear white is fascinating. So how would white appear? Washed out I guess. Iwant to find a photo to see how the lighter center panel looked.

  26. I read GWTW 3 times as a young teenager and at the time was the best book I’d ever read. Later I read “Desiree”, another great historical novel, about Napoleon Bonaparte’s first love, and that book is also a favorite. Scarlett was only 16 when the movie opened. I’ve seen it numerous times but don’t really enjoy the 2nd half anymore because it is too sad. Since I’ve now studied the War Between the States and discovered how many of my direct and collateral ancestors fought in the war–one of my great-uncles lost 5 sons– I can hardly bear to watch it. I’ve also read “Scarlett” and enjoyed it very much. Even tho Scarlett is older in this book and is not the same as the young Scarlett, it was good to have an ending to her and Rhett’s love story.

  27. I have read the book several times. I couldn’t count how many times that I saw the movie. My son gave me the video and put it on a lot when I am sewing. Thank you for all the photos. Maybe someday I will get to the museum.

  28. I loved this post! I gave one of my twin sons the middle name of Rhett. I never knew their was a museum. I will have to see it someday. Thanks.

  29. Thanks for this post! I will definitely make my way to this museum if I’m near Marietta. I loved the costumes and sets of the Gone with Wind, and the music! Like you, I was never a fan of Scarlett. They made her more likable for the movie! The book is fantastic. Rhett the likable anti-hero, and Scarlett really the villain through whose eyes you see the whole story- angelic Melaine. Wow. What a great read about humanity.

    The poster is a scene from the movie where Rhett forcibly takes Scarlett upstairs to their bedroom. He’s not really saving her. That’s a whole other topic of conversation from a ‘fifty shades of grey’ culture!

  30. bobbi duncan says

    I’m with you. I feel movies should be where we can be uplifted–there’s enough stress and sadness that surrounds us each day, and way too much in the way of violent and depressive movies on TV, too. I’ve known women like Scarlett–bad mojo, for sure! I do love the house and dresses, and times when people dressed nicely to go out to town–made the day extra special.

  31. Thank you for the tour! I especially enjoyed the pictures of the costumes. Gone With the Wind has always been one of my favorite movies. The role of Scarlett shows so many aspects of her personality. My family lived in Georgia through the Civil War and the American Revolution. Much like “Scarlett”, the women had to be strong to survive the wars and life afterward. My GGGGrandfather lived south of Atlanta and Sherman came through twice and took his livestock and goods. He built the Rex Mill in the 1830’s and it is still there today. The women at that time not only buried their valuables but also saved them in other ways. One woman sat on a barrel of cornmeal and covered it with her dress when confronted by the opposition who came to take their goods!

  32. My favorite all time movie! Saw it first when I was about 12…Have watched it more times than I can count. Just a quick note, the black hat you show after the honeymoon dress…that hat was worn in the early scene when Scarlett was in morning over her husband. She wore it to the bazaar and shocekd everyone when she danced with Rhett that night. Thank you for this post, I am definitely putting this on my next itinerary to Ga.

  33. Thanks for the tour! Gone with the Wind is my favorite all time movie. Also bought the book when I was in high school and devoured it. It is much better than the movie although Clark Cable and Vivien Leigh are great together. Loved movies and books around the time of the Civil War. I even named my daughter’s middle name Leigh after Vivien Leigh. Scarlett was not a very likable person but for me that did not take away from the movie. Thanks for sharing the post.

  34. I visited the museum several years ago. I really wanted to see the crimson velvet dress (my favorite). It didn’t disappoint. I didn’t realize how petite Vivian Leigh was. There were some undergarments she actually wore and they were so tiny. I’m sure Mammy had no trouble cinching that corset to the required 16″ (?) inches!

    What few people realized was Margaret Mitchell was an early supporter of black civil rights. She secretly gave money to Morehouse College for scholarships to be given to black students who wanted to become physicians. She also carried on a lifetime correspondence with Haddie McDaniel who played Mammy.
    As far as Scarlett is concerned, I just see her as an early feminist. I loved her spunk and can-do attitude. I’m sure she went back to Tara and bought up all the land around her and did just fine without Rhett.

  35. Barb Luckey says

    Hi Susan, I am a big fan of your blog & have followed it for a few years! This is the first comment that have ever made; I also live in Woodstock, GA ( Lived in East Cobb for 20 years! I happened to see your post on the Classy Flea. I am making over a former office in my house into a craft room/Grammy Cave. I bought the Blue & White checked ladies chair pictured next to the vintage twin stroller! I also found a desk that had been painted in chalk paint (light gray). Thanks for the reminder of The Classy Flea, I hit the jackpot! Love your blog!

    • Thanks so much, Barb! I’m so glad you found that adorable chair. I remember seeing it and loving it! It reminded me a little of the blue check chair I have in my guest room. I think I remember seeing the desk you bought, too. It’s a dangerous place for me to go because I always see something I want. This time I managed to leave with a just a book. 🙂

  36. Linda Nixon says

    Because of the love of our property as Scarlett loved her home we named our home Tara. We have a brass plaque on our front door inscribed “Our Tara”
    There is a first edition in a bookstore in Sarasota, Fl. I think I read Prissy was an atheist. She had never “birthed a baby.” I thought the book and movie had been banned. I have the movie and love it. Did not know Scarlett had other children. Scarlett had to have that personality to make the movie. did not like that next Scarlett movie. could not improve the original.

    • Yep, I’m sure you are right about her personality. Good thing I don’t write movies, they would be pretty boring. lol I love that you named your home, “Our Tara.” I wonder what that first edition is going for in the bookstore.

  37. Linda Nixon says

    I don’t think the first edition in the bookstore in Sarasota was for sale. I was encased in a glass box. I will do some investigating and try to find the bookstore and ask what it would sell for not that they would sell it. My mother saw the movie when it first came out and she praised it so much that when it came out for the first time when I was 18 I was disappointed, expected too much maybe but in time have come to appreciate and love it. I am a true Southern gal and even though Scarlett was a spoiled brat she had perserverence.

  38. Tara was based on Margaret Mitchell’s relative’s house in Lovejoy and the story takes place in Lovejoy and Jonesboro, where Margaret Mitchell visited as a child. I used to live there and my home was located in the area of the Battle of Jonesboro. Tara Blvd. is the main hwy through Jonesboro. The high school football stadium in Lovejoy is named Twleve Oaks. There is a confederate cemetery there too. Betty Talmadge who was once married to the state senator lived in Lovejoy and at one time before she died,had the facade of Tara from the movie stored on her property. Lots of history there.

    • So interesting! I have one of her cookbooks and it has some hilarious stories in it about the events and parties they had at her home in Lovejoy.

  39. Kenneth Fisher says

    I inherited a table from a patient who’s partner was the grandson of the actor who played Dr Merriwether. Apparently this was the table used in the scene in Atlanta when the women embroidered and read Dickens. Is there a prop list or other way to prove this? Is there value beyond plain curiosity?

    • Hi Kenneth,
      Unfortunately, I don’t really have any expertise in that area. What I would suggest is contacting the staff at the Gone With The Wind Museum and I bet they will be able to help you with that. If they can’t answer it for you, I’m sure they will know who to refer you to for that information. They would probably love to hear from you since you have such a wonderful piece of memorabilia from the movie.
      Here’s their website: http://www.gwtwmarietta.com/
      Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page at that link and you’ll see all the contact information for the museum.
      If you call and get someone who is a volunteer, ask them how you can reach a historian or someone who can help you. Emailing them may be your best bet.

  40. Billie Trammell says

    I am a big Fan of ” Gone with the Wind” I LOVE the movie.. I saw it several times at the movie theatre as a child and yes, there was an intermission. I became a Costume Designer of Civil War Gowns and a Civil War Re-enactor in the 80’s. I made many gowns and uniforms from that time period. I sold them in my Shop, that was actually built during the war, in “Perryville KY”. Perryville was the site of one of the Actual Civil War battles Oct 8, 1862. During the time I owned my shop, I was interviewed and an article was published in the Louisville Courier-Journal. The gentleman who interviewed me told me he had fabric that Vivien Leigh (Scarlett) and Butterfly McQueen (Prissy) wore in the movie. He said it was given to him by one of the costumers at MGM. He gave me some small pieces of the fabric from these dresses. I am going to contact the museum to see if they can authentic it for me. Looking at pictures of the two of them in the dresses I can tell the pattern and colors are the same. My swatch colors are more vibrant but, I was told and I have done this too, the fabric was “Tea Dyed” to make it look older. Thank you for the information.

  41. I was in love with the movie and was fortunate to see the original dresses at the Kent State University School of Fashion exhibit around 2005 or so. It was a wonderful exhibit. I can’t remember all of it but the main dresses were on display. The picnic dress was actually very beautiful not at all like the knockoff – it was I would say organdy and green velvet. The honeymoon outfit was black and white and intricately decorated. I also viewed the red velvet gown. I so enjoyed this display and it was advertised as the original costumes that were held at a place in Dallas Texas that cares for many movie costumes because it was built for that purpose – climate controlled and safe with experts to care for the garments.

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