Beauty Pageant, c. 1928

Twelve women in swimsuits stand on a small platform in front of a pool creating a lovely reflection.
 
The concept of competitions to determine "who is the fairest of them all" have been around since Ancient Greece and the Judgment of Paris (which unintentionally started the Trojan War). However, it was P.T. Barnum in the nineteenth century who is credited with creating the first modern beauty contest where women’s faces and figures were displayed in front of judges. It was in the twentieth century that beach resorts began to hold regular beauty pageants as entertainments for the burgeoning middle class. In 1921, Atlantic City organizers staged the first Miss America Pageant in September to entice tourists to extend their stays beyond Labor Day. The lineup of "bathing beauties" on the boardwalk began a century of complex cultural impacts on women. This photograph is a historical document of the early days of beauty pageants, capturing a moment in time when societal standards of beauty and femininity were publicly celebrated and scrutinized, marking the beginning of a cultural practice that continues to evolve and influence perceptions of beauty to this day.
 
Format: Silver Gelatin Print
Size: 7 x 5 inches
Condition: Very Good