Friday, August 29, 2014

Vintage Beauty Pageants, Retro Bathing Suits 20s-50s

Labor day always signals the imminent end of long summer days, beaches and bathing suits, but for one more weekend let's celebrate the season! And nothing typifies the summer like vintage beauty pageants! So I thought it would be fun to celebrate this weekend by putting together a little tribute to the whacky and wonderful history of pageants.

1920's

1920s swimsuits
"Beauty show at the Washington Bathing Beach", Washington DC 1922

Be sure to open these panoramas to view the full size image! They're stunning! And prints are available to purchase from this awesome vintage photography site, Shorpy!

1920's beauty pageant
"The Third Annual Pageant of Pulchritude / 9th Annual Bathing Girl Revenue", Galveston, TX, 1928

1920s fashion
"Miss Atlantic City", 1927

20's hair 20s dress
"Miss Bobbed Hair", 1925

1930's

1930s Miss America
"Miss America" 1930


1930s beauty


1930s pageant costume
"Miss Radio Queen", 1939

1940's

1940s miss america
Miss Philadelphia crowned Miss America, 1940


1940s evening dress
"Miss America", 1943

catalina flying fish bikini
"Miss Toronto", 1946 - Love those early Catalina swimsuits!

1950's

By the 50's Catalina began sponsoring its own beauty contests!
1950s Catalina Beauty Pageants

1950s beauty pageant gowns
Behind the scenes - getting ready for the evening gown portion


1954 pageant queen
"National Catfish Queen", 1954




This newsreel highlight of the 1955 Miss California pageant features a quick tour of Santa Cruz, the arrival of the contestants, the pageant's bathing suit portion, an evening gown competition to die for, and a beachfront crowing. The winner was Barbara Harris, age 20. And for those as nosy as I am, you'll be happy to note that the reporter did his job very thoroughly - Miss Harris weighed 120 lbs, was 5'6",  and measured 34.5" - 23.5" - 34.5"!

1960's

How could I not include this goodie?!...
1960s mink
"Miss Mink", 1960


Enjoy the holiday! And don't be afraid to show off your best pageant wave this weekend!



Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

5 comments:

  1. EmilySeptember 26, 2019 at 4:48 AM

    This is my first time here. I find a lot of interesting things in your blog especially that I'm not the only one
    discount beauty supply

    ReplyDelete
  2. John wickApril 29, 2020 at 12:13 AM

    Bandeau style bikinis differ from both triangle and halter neck styles because the top is made from a single piece of material and covers your breasts like a band. In fact this is how its name is derived. Beachwear

    ReplyDelete
  3. MichaelseoJune 21, 2020 at 12:34 AM

    Very informative post! There is a lot of information here that can help any business get started with a successful social networking campaign. sally beauty

    ReplyDelete
  4. 123456789November 8, 2020 at 6:48 AM

    The most delightful lady on the planet, for most intriguing magnificence, goes to Jennifer Connelly. I can't get her hair out my head from the film Blood Diamond. Focallure Monochromatic Duo Blush Shade:01

    ReplyDelete
  5. JamesNovember 15, 2020 at 11:49 AM

    Halter neck bikinis on the other hand are better suited to the women with larger chests. If your bra size is a C cup, or above, then this style will definitely look better on you and provide much needed support. triangle bikini

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)