What is this?

Our newest exhibit, Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen, showcases over 40 costumes form Hepburn’s illustrious film and stage career. “What is this?” posts will highlight an object from the exhibit and explore its background every other week. What is this object? What is the story behind it?

This costume was worn by Katharine Hepburn in the 1937 film, Stage Door. The film was directed by George La Cava and the costumes were designed by Muriel King. In the film, Hepburn plays Terry Randall, the daughter of a wealthy Midwest businessman, who goes against her father’s wishes to pursue a career in the theater.

The October 1937 issue of Photoplay reported that a call from Hepburn had designer Muriel King “swooping through the air to design her clothes” for this Hollywood film and described this dress as “layers of rounded petals” of gray marquisette with a “wide belt of magenta suede button in front.”

We have a number of Hepburn-related programs coming up. On Wednesdays in June at President’s College at the University of Hartford, Jeanine Basinger, Jennifer Steadman, and Karen DePauw will explore Katharine Hepburn’s extraordinary biography and how her life-long ties to Connecticut influenced the woman and the star she became. 

Katharine Hepburn: From Hartford to Hollywood begins on June 4 and occurs on June 11, and June 18 at 2:00 – 3:30 pm, President’s College, University of Hartford. The cost is $70 for President’s College Fellows and members of the CHS, and $85 for general public. You can register at library.hartford.edu/presidentscollege.