In 1936, Katharine Hepburn was introduced to Howard Hughes by Cary Grant. A romance sparked quickly between the two like-minded individuals, and it was during this time that Hughes presented Miss Hepburn with an Art Deco Platinum, Diamond and Sapphire Jardiniere Brooch by Trabert & Hoeffer, Mauboussin, circa 1930s (est. $15/20,000). "Hughes courted her in fine fashion, flying a private plane in and out of Old Saybrook and bringing her costly presents, much to the disapproval of Dr. Hepburn, who thought expensive jewelry and the like an indulgent frivolity. And indeed, Kate seldom adorned herself with jewels." This brooch was given by Miss Hepburn to her sister Marion, who later gave it to her daughter Katharine Houghton, and she has consigned it for sale. The actress is shown here wearing the brooch in "Without Love" with Spencer Tracy. Also included in the sale are more than 20 Western Union telegrams and drafts between Howard Hughes and Katharine Hepburn (est. $1,500/2,500), using nicknames "Old Boss," "Conkshell" and "Dan."
Personal Artifacts
Katharine Hepburn's fans will also have the rare chance to acquire such personal items as her passports, ranging from the 1920s to the 1970s, which are filled with evidence of her extensive travels. Included in the sale is Miss Hepburn's very first passport which dates to 1927, the year that she and Alice Palache, a friend from Bryn Mawr, embarked on their first European vacation driving through England, Scotland and Wales, and exploring Paris. The Collection also includes the bill from the Cayré Hotel in Paris and the Blue Bird Hotel in Salisbury, where the pair stayed (est. $2/4,000 for the three pieces). Other passports of note include one from 1938 which is signed "Katharine Ludlow," the last name Miss Hepburn adopted after marrying Ludlow Ogden Smith (est. $1,500/2,000), and one dating to 1948 which chronicles her travels in Africa with immigration stamps from Uganda, Kenya and the Belgian Congo (est. $1,500/2,000). Also featured are several African artifacts that Miss Hepburn collected during this time.
Katharine Hepburn's love of travel is further reflected in the numerous pieces of her Louis Vuitton luggage, including a large steamer trunk (est. $2,500/3,500) with separate compartments with notes in Miss Hepburn's hand. Her personal sense of style is revealed through a select grouping of vintage suits, coats, dresses, pants, and hats, with brands ranging from Burberry to Valentina. Her love of an active lifestyle is evidenced by her tennis racquets and outfits, skates, golf clubs and golf cart, and skis all of which come from Fenwick, her seaside escape, and all of which will be offered in the sale.
Other personal items include Miss Hepburn's address books (est. $2/3,000 each) from the 1930s and 1940s, which are stamped "KH" and list the numbers and addresses of luminaries of the day from Tracy and Sir Laurence Olivier to the studio at 20th Century Fox and the Old Vic Theater in London. The sale also features many cancelled checks, including one dated 1932 and addressed to her acting coach Francis Robinson Duff in the amount of $22 (est. $800/1,200), as well as several U.S. and international driver's licenses.
Katharine Hepburn's Own Artwork
Never before seen by the public are Katharine Hepburn's own paintings and drawings and the June auction will include more than 100 works of art by the actress. In 1938, Miss Hepburn first picked up a paint brush on Howard Hughes' yacht, and thus began her life-long love affair with painting, which is represented in more than fifty previously unseen canvases done during her decades of travels from Cuba to Connecticut to California. The offering of paintings, drawings, watercolors, sketchbooks and sculptures, which capture Miss Hepburn's treasured views of Fenwick, as well as the flower-filled patio at the house in Los Angeles which she and Tracy shared for years, is also accompanied by Miss Hepburn's painting table, small easel, palettes, paint boxes and brushes (est. $1,500/2,000). Another remarkable object is a small bronze bust sculpted by Miss Hepburn of Spencer Tracy (est. $3/5,000) which is featured in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."
