A fashion sketch by designer, Elois Jenssen for Lucille Ball’s character Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy. This particular illustration was recreated by Elois reportedly in the 1970’s. The original sketches Elois drew in the 1950’s are distinguished by darker vellum paper, tanned presumably from age.
The dress and can be seen in four classic I Love Lucy episodes – “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined”, “Million Dollar Idea”, “Oil Wells”, and “The Black Wig” spanning 1953 to 1954.
Thankfully, many of Elois’ sketches like this exist as it has aided to accurately colorize garments when CBS began doing to a handful of I Love Lucy shows. This dress and other memorable looks were beautifully recreated in 2004 for the official I Love Lucy Paper Dolls book.
I am trying to find the dress Lucy wore in “Ricardo’s dedicate a statue’ episode.
It is the solid color dress with white lapel and pleated skirt she is wearing in the scene when she is in the driveway with the statue and in the living room with the head and leg on the table.
Hi Ellen,
Thanks for reaching out! Are you looking for the sketch of this dress, a photo, or more information about it?