Kenneth Cohen

Well, they tell so many stories, right? There's the story in the movie and in the book that preceded the movie. You know, in the book, the slippers are silver and the path is gold.

And there's a lot of conjecture about what the original author was intending in an era when the monetization, the discussion of how American monetary policy was going to be tied to gold or silver values was a really important political debate at the time the book came out. But the slippers have real relevance today, too, in sort of a real world crime sense.

And there's a lot of conjecture about what the original author was intending in an era when the monetization, the discussion of how American monetary policy was going to be tied to gold or silver values was a really important political debate at the time the book came out. But the slippers have real relevance today, too, in sort of a real world crime sense.

And there's a lot of conjecture about what the original author was intending in an era when the monetization, the discussion of how American monetary policy was going to be tied to gold or silver values was a really important political debate at the time the book came out. But the slippers have real relevance today, too, in sort of a real world crime sense.

You know, the museum has had a pair of these slippers since they're actually red pumps. We call them slippers because that's what they're called in the movie. But we've had a pair since 1979 that had been on display almost constantly because of how popular they were. And there's five known pairs and probably at least six total because one of the shoes has a number six on the inside of it.

You know, the museum has had a pair of these slippers since they're actually red pumps. We call them slippers because that's what they're called in the movie. But we've had a pair since 1979 that had been on display almost constantly because of how popular they were. And there's five known pairs and probably at least six total because one of the shoes has a number six on the inside of it.

You know, the museum has had a pair of these slippers since they're actually red pumps. We call them slippers because that's what they're called in the movie. But we've had a pair since 1979 that had been on display almost constantly because of how popular they were. And there's five known pairs and probably at least six total because one of the shoes has a number six on the inside of it.

And there were six different pairs of shoes, partly because they might get worn out over the course of all of the shooting, but also because the sequins are actually stitched on in slightly different angles that would reflect the stage lights in any given scene differently. And so they were used at different times in different sets in the filming of the movie.

And there were six different pairs of shoes, partly because they might get worn out over the course of all of the shooting, but also because the sequins are actually stitched on in slightly different angles that would reflect the stage lights in any given scene differently. And so they were used at different times in different sets in the filming of the movie.

And there were six different pairs of shoes, partly because they might get worn out over the course of all of the shooting, but also because the sequins are actually stitched on in slightly different angles that would reflect the stage lights in any given scene differently. And so they were used at different times in different sets in the filming of the movie.

And so our pair had been on display almost constantly since 1979, and they were being meticulously cleaned by our amazing conservation staff. And at the same time that that was happening, sort of 2016 to 2018, a pair that had been stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 2005 surfaced.

And so our pair had been on display almost constantly since 1979, and they were being meticulously cleaned by our amazing conservation staff. And at the same time that that was happening, sort of 2016 to 2018, a pair that had been stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 2005 surfaced.

And so our pair had been on display almost constantly since 1979, and they were being meticulously cleaned by our amazing conservation staff. And at the same time that that was happening, sort of 2016 to 2018, a pair that had been stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 2005 surfaced.

And the FBI brought those ruby slippers to the museum because our conservators were now so familiar with the intricate construction of the ones at our museum that they could essentially authenticate the pair that had just surfaced.

And the FBI brought those ruby slippers to the museum because our conservators were now so familiar with the intricate construction of the ones at our museum that they could essentially authenticate the pair that had just surfaced.

And the FBI brought those ruby slippers to the museum because our conservators were now so familiar with the intricate construction of the ones at our museum that they could essentially authenticate the pair that had just surfaced.

Now in examining the pair that had just surfaced, the conservators discovered that in fact not only were the recently resurfaced ones authentic, but that our pair wasn't actually a pair. The right shoe at the Smithsonian and The resurfaced pair's left shoe were actually an original pair together, and then our left and the other pair's right.

Now in examining the pair that had just surfaced, the conservators discovered that in fact not only were the recently resurfaced ones authentic, but that our pair wasn't actually a pair. The right shoe at the Smithsonian and The resurfaced pair's left shoe were actually an original pair together, and then our left and the other pair's right.

Now in examining the pair that had just surfaced, the conservators discovered that in fact not only were the recently resurfaced ones authentic, but that our pair wasn't actually a pair. The right shoe at the Smithsonian and The resurfaced pair's left shoe were actually an original pair together, and then our left and the other pair's right.

Conservators identified this by examining super small similarities in the cut style and what we call the wear, the patterns of distress caused by wearing the shoes on the sequins and on the heel of these ruby slippers. So this was a case of our collection, you know, being used to help safeguard another of these rare and super popular shoes that many Americans have really close connections to.