Vintage twentieth century photographs reveal just how popular and glamorous beauty pageants of the past really were.
Many of the monochrome images are from past Miss America pageants, the oldest pageant still in operation today. The iconic pageant, which was originally called Atlantic City’s Inter-City Beauty Contest, was organized in 1921 by a local businessman looking to entice tourists to visit the New Jersey city.
The first contestants donned bathing suits and were judged solely on their appearance. The two-day event evolved into the Miss America pageant that we know today.
Stunning: Vintage photographs reveal just how popular and glamorous beauty pageants were in the twentieth century
Winner: Margaret Gorman (pictured), a 16-year-old from Washington, D.C. was crowned the first ‘Miss America’ after competing in the 1921 Inter-City Beauty Contest held in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Owning it: Margaret Gorman was all smiles as she posed wearing a large Statue of Liberty crown and a striped cape after she was named the first Miss America
Style of the times: Women are pictured wearing bloomers during a beauty contest in 1921
Old sashes: Mary Dague as ‘Miss Wheeling,’ Dorothy Haupt as ‘Miss Easton,’ Helen Lynch as ‘Miss Fall River,’ Ellen E. Sherr as ‘Miss Allentown,’ Paula E. Spoettle as ‘Miss Bridgeport,’ and Miss Margaret Gorman as ‘Miss America’ are pictured in 1922
New tradition: The 1922 Miss America contest was won by Mary Campbell (second from left). She is pictured with Armand T. Nichol, the director of the pageant (far left) and the previous year’s winner Margaret Gorman (far right)
Historic: Mary Campbell (pictured) was the only person to win the Miss America pageant twice in addition to being the second woman in history to win the title
Making friends: Six beauty pageant contestants are pictured in their swimsuits in Atlantic City in 1923
Throwback: A group of Miss America contestants donned ornate headpieces while posing for a photo together in the 1920s
Added touch: In 1924, beauty contestants wore cloaks of satin with their bathing suits for the pageant in Atlantic City
Former Miss California: Fay Lanphier became the first national beauty queen from California after she won the Miss America pageant in 1925
Start of it all: Contestants are pictures in their swimsuits at the Inter-City Beauty Contest in Atlantic City in 1925. The Inter-City Beauty Contest later became known as the Miss America pageant
Beauty contest: The pageants first contestants donned bathing suits and were judged solely on their appearance
Start of it all: Contestants are pictures in their swimsuits at the Inter-City Beauty Contest in Atlantic City in 1927
Evolving: Atlantic City’s Inter-City Beauty Contest evolved into the Miss America pageant that we know today
Famous grin: Norma Smallwood, Miss Tulsa, was named Miss America in 1926. She was said to possess a smile like that of Mona Lisa
Popular: In this image, a crowd can be seen gathering to watch a beauty pageant in the 1920s in New Jersey
Get ready: Beauty pageant contestants were photographed just moments before they were about to jump into a pool of oranges for the Miss Anaheim competition in Los Angeles in 1929
One image shows a large crowd of people surrounding the beauty pageant parade in Atlantic City, while another depicts a beautiful contestant smiling with music papers scattered around her.
In 1929, a group of beauty pageant contestants were photographed just moments before they were about to jump into a pool of oranges for the Miss Anaheim competition in Los Angeles, California.
Other pictures include a line-up of beauty contestants in their swimming suits in Huntington Beach, California, in 1925, and a group of stunning woman wearing sashes in Venice, Italy, for the Venice Bathing Beauty Pageant in 1926.
‘A beauty pageant or contest is a competition manifestly based on an evaluation of contestants’ appearance, and contestants are typically, although not invariably, for girls or women,’ Carol Brooks Gardner said in the book Gender and Society, edited by Jodi O’Brien.
Strike a pose: A group of beauty pageant contestants posed together during the Venice Bathing Beauty Pageant in 1926
Bathing beauties: The women were seen wearing their sashes while they lined up in their swim costumes during the pageant held at Venice Beach
West Coast: Contestants are pictured at the Bathing Beauty Pageant at Huntington Beach, California, in 1925
Sun protection: Some of the women held parasols umbrellas while posing for photos on the beach
Modest swimwear: The women were seen wearing bathing suits that skimmed the top of their thighs
Going global: The First International Pageant of Pulchritude and Seventh Annual Bathing Girl Revue, was a beauty pageant held from May 15 to May 17, 1926, in Galveston, Texas
Spreading throughout North America: The previous editions of the Galveston Bathing Girl Revue had only featured contestants from the US. However, during the 1926 event, one contestant from Mexico and another from Canada entered
Attracting more contestants: The Second International Pageant of Pulchritude and Eighth Annual Bathing Girl Revue was held from May 21 to May 23, 1927, in Galveston, Texas
Growing in size: Women from Cuba, France, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, Canada, Mexico joined the US contestants for the international pageant
Annual event: The Fifth International Pageant of Pulchritude and Eleventh Annual Bathing Girl Revue was held in Galveston, Texas, from August 2 to August 6, 1930
Fancy dress: The women wore their sashes over their dresses while they posed together for the photo op
Having fun: Five beauty pageant contestants posed for a photo together on the beach in 1923
California’s ‘Beauty Quartette’: Louise Heathman, Miss Southern California; Bertha Wiezel, Miss California; Ruby Smith, Miss Oakland; and Naomi Farrand, Miss San Francisco, are pictured together for competing in the Atlantic City beauty pageant
A moment in time: Seven beauty pageant contestants are pictured on the boardwalk in Atlantic City in 1927
Winning look: Henrietta Weaver is seen posing in a bathing suit for the 1935 Miss America pageant
On her thrown: Rose Veronica Coyle was crowned Miss America in 1936. She was the first contestant to receive an encore in the talent completion
A star is born: Dorothy Parker was crowned Miss Washington before competing for the title of Miss America in 1938 when she was 18 years old
By the beach: A group of women are seen walking on the boardwalk together ahead of a beauty pageant
‘There is an implicit and obvious feminist criticism of the beauty pageant, which is most often a pyramidal contest that pits one woman against another and evaluates all in a series of eliminations.’
Entrepreneur Phineas Taylor Barnum staged the first modern American pageants in 1854, but his beauty contest had to be shut down due to a protest from the public.
‘In addition to originating widely advertised contests that judged babies, flowers, and dogs, Barnum promoted ‘feminine beauty’ contests,’ Carol said.
‘These contests appealed to the American value of the competition, and they gained popularity thanks to the rise of the mass distribution newspaper and the technology of the daguerreotype.’
Old practices: A group of beauty pageant contestants are pictures being weighed in before the contest
Good odds: Bette Cooper was 17 years old when she was selected as the ‘most beautiful girl in evening gown’ at the Miss America pageant in 1937
Memorable day: Bette Cooper is photographed with her trophy after being named Miss America in 1937
Pageant royalty: Peggy Payne was photographed sitting on her thrown after being named Miss America in 1945
Parade: Miss Texas is pictured wearing a gown while riding on a float in Atlantic City in 1946
Passing on the torch: Marilyn Buferd, Miss America 1946, is pictured crowning the new Miss America, Barbara Jo Walker, in 1947, as five other contestants smile during the pageant held in Atlantic City
Stunning: Miss America contestant Yolande Betbeze was photographed sitting on the floor, surrounded by sheet music
Famous: Betbeze also posed on a railing at the top of a building in Atlantic City in 1950 (left) before she was crowned Miss America in 1951 (right)
Showing off her curves: Kay Douglas of New York City is pictured after winning the Miss New York State title
Success: Barbara Nan Hicks (center) captured the Miss Dixie title in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1955. Second runner up was Joan Faye Brown (left) and third was Margaret Anne Haywood
Miss America candidates Jacque Baker, Miss Iowa; Linda Mead, Miss Mississippi, Sharon O’Neal, Miss Kansas; and Suzie Jackson, Miss Arkansas, are pictured together in 1959
Happy as can be: Lee Ann Meriwether is pictured running down the beach after being named Miss America in 1955
Vintage pic: A group of women competing for the title of Miss New York City at Grace Darwin Airline Hostess School are pictured in their swimsuits in 1963
How things have changed: These days the swimsuit portion of the competition is seen as being incredibly controversial
Beauty contests grew in popularity in the 1880s, but these types of events were not regarded as respectable until the first Miss America contest held in 1921.
Margaret Gorman, a 16-year-old from Washington, D.C. was crowned the first Miss America that year after having won both the popularity and beauty contests.
The UK beauty pageant Miss United Kingdom was created in 1958 by British TV host Eric Morley the man behind the Miss World pageant.
European festivals from as far back as the medieval period, provided the most direct connection for beauty pageants.
English May Day celebrations always involved the selection of a May Queen.