CHARLIE CHAPLIN’S ICONIC “LITTLE TRAMP” BOOTS TO BE SOLD IN LOS ANGELES AUCTION THIS MONTH

ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC COSTUME PIECES IN FILM HISTORY WILL BE UP FOR GRABS AT PROPSTORE’S ENTERTAINMENT MEMORABILIA LIVE AUCTION ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2025.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, March 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC COSTUME PIECES IN FILM HISTORY WILL BE UP FOR GRABS AT PROPSTORE’S ENTERTAINMENT MEMORABILIA LIVE AUCTION ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2025. COLLECTORS AND MOVIE FANS WILL HAVE A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A PIVOTAL PIECE OF HOLLYWOOD HISTORY - CHARLIE CHAPLIN’S SCREEN-AND PHOTO-MATCHED “LITTLE TRAMP” BOOTS FROM THE GREAT DICTATOR (1940). THE BOOTS HAVE A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF $125,000 – $250,000.

PROPSTORE, ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING FILM AND TV MEMORABILIA COMPANIES, WILL OFFER OVER 1,350 RARE AND SCREEN-USED PROPS, COSTUMES, AND MEMORABILIA FROM SOME OF THE MOST BELOVED FILMS AND TV SHOWS DURING THE THREE-DAY EVENT, RUNNING FROM MARCH 26-28, 2025, AT THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM IN LOS ANGELES. WITH AN ESTIMATE TOTAL VALUE OF $8 MILLION, THE AUCTION FEATURES A WIDE RANGE OF HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER COLLECTIBLES.

THE AUCTION BEGINS AT 10:30 AM PDT / 5:30 PM GMT EACH DAY. PUBLIC IN-ROOM BIDDING WILL BE AVAILABLE ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, WITH ONLINE, ABSENTEE, AND TELEPHONE BIDS ACCEPTED THROUGHOUT THE EVENT.

A Jewish Barber's (Charlie Chaplin) screen- and photo-matched "Little Tramp" boots from The Great Dictator (1940). These boots - an extension of Chaplin’s beloved character - were worn by the Barber after returning from the Western Front to his shop in the Tomainian ghetto. With their distinctive oversized shape and well-worn appearance, they played a crucial role in defining Chaplin’s most iconic on-screen persona.

Chaplin’s career spanned decades, earning him three Academy Awards^®, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and six films preserved in the National Film Registry. His mischievous “Little Tramp” - a mustachioed vagrant with a bowler hat, cane, and oversized shoes - struggled against hardship while trying to better himself. Chaplin described the costume’s symbolism: "The cane stood for man's attempt at dignity, the mustache for his vanity, and the boots for the cares that hamper him." He based the character’s movements on a real-life cabman with bad feet, whose exaggerated walk became part of film history.

While it is possible that these shoes were utilized on multiple Chaplin Studios productions, the distinctive cracking in the sole and creasing in the leather on the boots has been screen-matched to The Great Dictator. Distress points on the left shoe also match production stills, making them among the earliest screen-matched costume pieces in cinema history. Preserved by Alfred Reeves, Chaplin Film Corporation's General Manager, from 1918 to 1946, they later became part of the collection of Ted and Betty Tetrick. In 1987, a decade after Chaplin’s death, the boots were sold at Christie's as part of a Charlie Chaplin Sale, alongside a bowler hat and cane.

The boots originate from the 1987 auction winner and were previously authenticated with a letter from Ted Tetrick, though it has since been lost. According to Tetrick, Chaplin originally selected three pairs of shoes for his Little Tramp character - one was eaten by mice, another was too new and uncomfortable, and this pair became his primary choice. Over a century old, these boots remain a tangible piece of Chaplin’s enduring legacy.


THE AUCTION IS NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION AND BIDDING VIA:

https://propstoreauction.com/auctions/info/id/449

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Notes to Editors:

For further information, catalogue images, case studies and interviews please contact:

Beth Willetts at bwilletts@blazepr.com

Registration and online bidding are now open at: https://propstoreauction.com/auctions/info/id/449

Dropbox link to images: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/b8qip4jpr3pot67ap1eme/AHy0rnZe0lN1A5gA46PssM4?rlkey=cy1tgsowk6o8rmo7866r9mn7n&dl=0

About Propstore

In 1998, Propstore founder Stephen Lane’s love for movies led him to hunt for the same props and costumes used to create his favourite films. He found that he could provide collectors with access to their most coveted pieces and establish archival standards for this new, pop-culture hybrid of fine art and memorabilia collecting - prop art.

Since 2014, Propstore has regularly hosted live auctions featuring some of the world’s greatest Entertainment Memorabilia treasures. Propstore specializes in film and television props and costumes, production materials, and artwork, as well as music memorabilia, posters, and collectible toys. Propstore also holds regular online auctions in association with many of the industry’s major production materials and has over 5,000 items available for sale via Buy Now on www.propstore.com.

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Bethany Willetts
Propstore
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