No, Not Caroline Ingalls' White Gown: This Little House Dress Sold For Thousands At Auction
One of the most beautiful costumes in the beloved 1970s television series "Little House on the Prairie" was the white gown from season 2, episode 10 during a dream sequence. Worn by matriarch Caroline Ingalls (portrayed by actor Karen Grassle, who would struggle with the menopause storyline in "Little House on the Prairie" some time later), the period-accurate Victorian ensemble was made of Venetian lace and satin brocade. It featured a high collar and even included an Ostrich-plume hat. Though you may think that Caroline's luxurious gown would have fetched the highest price at auction after the show's conclusion, that designation belongs to another iconic dress from the show: Laura Ingalls' signature red dress.
According to Heritage Auctions, Laura's simple red dress was sold at auction for $14,080 in December 2018. In comparison, the elaborate white gown sold for just $1,245 (per Antique Dress). Given that the red dress was worn by Laura quite a bit during the show's early seasons, it's no surprise that it would surpass Caroline's gorgeous white gown — which was only seen on a single episode – in terms of auction price: fans were way more familiar with the red dress. Laura wore a similar dress in the later years of the series, further emphasizing actor Melissa Gilbert's complete transformation. But nothing beats the original — which surpassed the other costumes in the series to become the most coveted.
Many of the original Little House on the Prairie costumes were destroyed
While iconic costumes from "Little House on the Prairie," like Caroline Ingalls' white Victorian gown and Laura Ingalls' childhood red dress, have been sold to fans at auction, many other ensembles from the series are officially gone. In 1995, 11 years after the series' finale aired, a fire at the Old Tucson Museum in Arizona destroyed nearly all of the "Little House on the Prairie" costumes and props displayed there. Only four costumes survived, including Caroline's white gown as well as Laura's red dress, because of private collectors and cast members who held on to certain items after the series finished.
One of Michael Landon's costumes for patriarch Charles Ingalls survived and was sold at auction in 2018 for $1,736, which still pales in comparison to the cost of Laura's dress. One of Laura's bonnets as well as a dress were sold by actor Melissa Gilbert in an auction she held in 2018, providing fans with another rare piece of the show's costume history. While there aren't many costumes left from the original series, the new Netflix adaptation will hopefully store costumes in multiple locations to prevent another disaster. Comparing side-by-side pics of the "Little House On The Prairie" 1970 and 2026 casts shows that both series share the commitment to produce intentional costumes that fit the time period and characters themselves, so it would be a tragedy to see more fantastic garments lost.