ELVIRA SCREEN-WORN ORIGINAL DRESS AND FIRST BELT FROM “ELVIRA’S MOVIE MACABRE”

One of the three original “Elvira” dresses, worn on the television series Elvira’s Movie Macabre (KHJ-TV, 1981-86) and made from thinner fabric than the star’s later dresses. The item includes a wide black leather belt, the first one ever worn by Elvira, upon which all of her subsequent belts were modeled.

The black polyester floor-length gown has a sewn-in brown nylon bra, plunging neckline, asymmetrical hem, purposely ‘tattered’ trim at cuffs and hem, and a zip-up back closure.

Elvira’s original belt has a back hook closure and leather “pin” faux front closure. Cassandra Peterson states:

“This is the very first belt I wore as Elvira. Robert Redding bought it for me in 1981 at a department store.”

Redding, an artist and dear friend of Cassandra Peterson, designed Elvira’s original wig, costume, and makeup. He died from AIDS complications in 1986, partly inspiring Peterson’s decades of AIDS activism. Circa 1983, he had the idea to replace the leather “pin” faux front closure with Elvira’s famous bejeweled dagger, which he designed.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Cassandra Peterson

$1,000-2,000

ELVIRA EARLY ROBERT REDDING CONCEPT DRAWINGS FOR ELVIRA CHARACTER

An original early Robert Redding pencil on sketch pad paper drawing presenting several possible looks for the Elvira character.

The sketch is one of the earliest of the Elvira character, presenting two very different looks: one a “’60s Morticia Type, black dress, black hair” resembling the familiar Elvira look, and a “traditional movie type (Polanski), ‘Bride of Dracula,’ skin and dress are same color (grey-cream), red hair, dress in shreds.” Peterson preferred the latter concept, inspired by Sharon Tate in The Fearless Vampire Killers (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1967). However, the TV station insisted on the other style, which became iconic.

“Vampira,” rather than “Elvira,” is written on top of the sketch, suggesting that these concepts were developed when KHJ-TV first hired Peterson to resurrect the Vampira character, created by Maila Nurmi in 1953. Nurmi was originally brought on as an Executive Producer on the show, but quit when she disapproved of Peterson’s casting, at which point the character was renamed.

Robert Redding, an artist and dear friend of Cassandra Peterson, designed the character’s original wig, costume, and makeup. He died from AIDS complications in 1986, partly inspiring Peterson’s decades of AIDS activism.

Appears in the coffee table book Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (California: Tweeterhead Publishing, 2016).

HWD 17 x 14 inches

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Cassandra Peterson

$500-700

ELVIRA STAGE WORN TRUNKS AND G-STRINGS

A pair of black trunks (faded to brown over time) decorated with rhinestones from the personal collection of Cassandra Peterson. She states: “I wore them as part of one of my early go-go costumes in my teens.”

This lot also includes two G-strings, one red and one blue with a Superman emblem.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Cassandra Peterson

$300-500

ELVIRA STAGE WORN TASSELS AND PASTIES

Three pairs of pasties and eight pairs of tassels worn by Cassandra Peterson when she was a dancer in her 20s, and a package of snap swivels.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Cassandra Peterson

$300-500

ELVIRA WARHOL SIGNED AMERICAN INDIAN SERIES EXHIBITION POSTER

A framed original double signed offset-lithograph exhibition poster for Andy Warhol’s “The American Indian Series” at Ace Gallery, which was held in Los Angeles in March of 1977.

The image featured on the poster is of a Warhol painting of Native American civil rights activist Russell Means. Means attended each exhibition. The poster is hand-signed by Warhol and Means.

HWD 52.25 x 35.75 x 1 inches

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Cassandra Peterson

$2,000-3,000

ELVIRA SPIDER COSTUME JEWELRY

Over 15 pieces of costume jewelry featuring spiders from the personal collection of Cassandra Peterson.

Items include rings and earrings, necklaces, a bracelet, and a bejeweled compact with a condom inside reading “Just In Case” on the label.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Cassandra Peterson

$300-500

ELVIRA PHOTO-WORN ANKH NECKLACE AND OTHER BLACK AND SILVER-TONE COSTUME JEWELRY

Over 20 pieces of black and silver-tone costume jewelry from the personal collection of Cassandra Peterson, including an ankh necklace worn by Elvira as part of her hippie drag in a photograph, published in the coffee table book Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (California: Tweeterhead Publishing, 2016).

Other items include studded faux leather bracelets and necklaces, necklaces in other styles, a silver-tone bracelet featuring a skeleton riding a motorcycle, a wristwatch, bracelets, and earrings.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Cassandra Peterson

$100-200

ELVIRA MACABRE COSTUME JEWELRY

Over 15 pieces of macabre costume jewelry from the personal collection of Cassandra Peterson.

Items include pairs of witch hat and human heart earrings; a human eyeball bracelet; necklaces, bracelets, charms, rings, and a pin with skull designs; necklaces with charms of a coffin, an alien, and Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show (20th Century Fox, 1975), and more.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Cassandra Peterson

$300-500