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RBG's iconic Pegasus collar will hit the auction block in September.
Ginsburg, who changed the course of history for women’s rights and gender equality, famously became known for her iconic collars and jabots worn on the bench. For the Justice, each had a powerful coded message coupled with a fashion statement.
The Pegasus limited edition silver metallic bib by Stella & Dot was one of RBG's favorite collars evoking power and strength with the imagery of battle armor in its layered metal pointed feathers, the Potomack Company said. She chose to wear the collar for the official 2018 Supreme Court justices photograph, which was also her first day back after recovering from a fall that fractured her ribs.
The collar sent the unspoken – but very clear – message that the Justice was back in action and ready for duty. When previously asked when there will be enough women on the court, she replied, “When there are nine.”
The Pegasus was featured in a Time magazine commemorative piece not long after she died in 2020. Time called Ginsburg a fashion pioneer, noting she subtly encoded “meaning in her dress.” The Ginsburg family shared details with Time about the collars represented in the article. These collars are the subject of a forthcoming book, "The Collars of RBG: A Portrait of Justice” by Elinor Carucci and Sara Bader.
RBG follows a long tradition in American history of women using fashion to communicate an important message. In the late 18th century, Martha Washington gave portrait painter Gilbert Stuart a piece of lace ruffle to include in his important depictions of the first president. According to George Washington’s Mount Vernon, lace in the 18th century “communicated statements about one’s position in society, wealth, and purchasing power” and was “the ultimate power accessory.”
Included in the Sept. 20 and 21 auction with the Ginsburg metallic collar is the Martha Washington fragment of lace given to Gilbert Stuart for his presidential portrait. The fragment is evocative of the lacy jabots worn more than 200 years later by Justice Ginsburg and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court.
In 2021, Potomack sold RBG’s modern art and memorabilia collection for more than $1 million to benefit Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center.
To support Justice Ginsburg’s vision of equal protection under the law for all Americans, the Potomack Company will donate a percentage of the commission to the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Endowed Fund for Research in Civil Rights and Gender Equality of the American Bar Foundation, an organization founded in 1952 for which Ginsburg served many years as an officer and board member.
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