ONSETHOBO U12-012 for storage of Marilyn Monroe logo gowns

First seen in the 1955 classic The Seven Year Itch and later featured in countless immortal memorabilia items, Marilyn Monroe's white "Metro" outfit has become an icon of American pop culture. Today, the surging dress is stored in a vault at the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Film Museum in North Hollywood, a California nonprofit museum that currently holds the largest collection of Hollywood memorabilia in the world. , new environmental remote-sensing technology is being used to monitor changes in climate -- especially humidity -- that could cost $2.2 million in skirts.

"Excessive moisture can be a serious enemy of antique textiles," explains Todd Fisher, museum executive and son of Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds. "While our museum environment is very stable, the mentality is that we don't want to take any risks and find out that one day the mold develops like a drastic garment. The more guarantees we have, the better."

The museum uses HOBO® data logger temperature and humidity logger U12-011/UX100-003, UX100-011, manufactured by ONSET in Massachusetts. The battery-operated device, about half the size of a standard iPod, measures and records humidity non-stop – even during power outages – and accompanying software converts the data into a time-stamped graph that can be displayed on a computer and printed out.

"We look at the data weekly, sometimes even daily, to make sure the humidity stays below 50 percent," Fisher said. "The data also tells us what temperature levels to expect during periods, which we like around 68°F. Our long-term goal is that nothing extreme occurs, although any temperature and humidity fluctuations are a concern."

He added, "Classic movies are a very important part of American history, and what remains of those movies thousands of years later will be tangible items like costumes and props. Using new technology like HOBO, we can better Carefully manage our collection so they will be here for generations to come."