Miss America 1921

What has become known as the first Miss America pageant was, at its start in 1921, an activity designed to attract tourists to extend their Labor Day holiday weekend and enjoy festivities in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Atlantic City's Inter-City Beauty Contest, as it was initially called, attracted over 1,500 photographic entries from around the country, all vying to win the "Golden Mermaid" award and cash prizes.

Miss America 1921
DateThursday, September 8, 1921[1]
PresentersKing Neptune XII (Hudson Maxim), Thomas P. Endicott
VenueMillion Dollar Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Entrants10
Placements1
WinnerMargaret Gorman
Washington, D.C.

Six "Inter-City Beauties," arrived in Atlantic City and entered a new event: The "Inter-City Beauty" Contest. It was judged in stylish afternoon attire not only by the judges, but also the public, who shared in 50 percent of the final score. Personality played a large role in the voting as masses of people surrounded each entrant to get to know her better and throw questions at them throughout the event. Later, the entrants were escorted and presented on the stage of the Keith Theatre on the Garden Pier.[2]

The amateur prize, the Watkins Trophy, was awarded to Miss Washington, DC, Margaret Gorman, Miss South Jersey, Kathryn M. Gearon placed second, receiving $100 in gold. A special professional prize, the Endicott Trophy, was awarded to Miss New York, silent film actress Virginia Lee.[2]

An immediate hit with the crowds, the "Inter-City Beauties" were later judged head-to-head against two other "Beauty" winners in selected classes of the now famous Bather's Revue: an "amateur winner" from over two hundred local women and tourists, and a "professional winner," which included a field of eleven professional models and actresses. In this extravagant and much-hyped final event, Margaret Gorman won the Grand Prize: the Golden Mermaid trophy.[2]

Gorman[3] decided to enter the contest the following year and, since Washington, D.C. had already selected another contestant to represent their area in the 1922 contest, officials allowed Gorman to compete as "Miss America" just two weeks prior to the competition which marks the first time the title was actually used.[4][5]

Contestants at the 1921 Pageant; Miss Atlantic City (Florence Burke), Miss Philadelphia, and Miss Washington, DC.

Results

Placements
Final results Contestant
Miss America 1921
"Golden Mermaid"
1st runner-up

Awards
Final results Contestant
Amateur Beauty
Bathers' Revue
Endicott Trophy
Golden Mermaid Trophy
Professional Beauty
Watkins Trophy

Contestants
City Name Hometown Age[lower-alpha 1] Placement Special awards Notes
Camden, New Jersey Kathryn M. Gearon[2] Camden 1st runner-up[7] Amateur Beauty Award
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Emma Pharo[8] Harrisburg
New Jersey Ethel Charles[9]
New York City, New York Virginia Lee[6] New York City 20 Endicott Trophy

Professional Beauty Award[6]
New York Lucy Day Smith[9]
Newark, New Jersey Margaret Bates[8] Newark
Ocean City, New Jersey Hazel Harris[10] Ocean City
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Nellie Orr[10] Philadelphia
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Thelma Matthews[11] Pittsburgh
Washington, D.C. Margaret Gorman[7] Washington, D.C. 16 Winner[7] Bathers' Revue Award

Golden Mermaid Trophy

Watkins Trophy		 Later competed as Miss America 1921 in the 1922 and 1923 pageants[7]

Notes
  1. Ages at the time of national competition

References
  1. "People & Events: The First Miss America Beauty Pageant, 1921". PBS.
  2. "Miss America History 1921". Archived from the original on 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
  3. "Fairest In A 1000!". Spartanburg Herald. 1921-09-09.
  4. "Maxim Bars Perfume for Girls in Pageant". The New York Times. 1922-08-29.
  5. "A Row of Beauties in Atlantic City Pageant". Nevada State Journal. 1921-09-17.
  6. Watson, Elwood; Martin, Darcy (21 August 2004). "There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 34. ISBN 1-4039-6301-0.
  7. "Miss America History 1921". Archived from the original on April 17, 2012.
  8. "Miss America 1921". The Atlantic City Experience.
  9. "Miss America 1921 Candidates". Miss America. 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  10. Riverol, A.R. (1992). Live from Atlantic City: The History of the Miss America Pageant Before, After and in Spite of Television. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. p. 13. ISBN 0-87972-558-3.
  11. ""Miss Pittsburgh", Atlantic City". Library of Congress. 1921. Photograph shows Thelma Matthews who was the Pittsburgh contestant in the 1921 Inter-City Beauty Contest, which became the Miss America pageant.

Secondary sources
  • Bivens, Ann-Marie (1991). "2". Miss America In Pursuit of the Crown. Mater Media Limited. ISBN 0-942361-27-X.
  • Saulino Osborne, Angela (1995). "Prologue, 2". Miss America The Dream Lives On. Taylor Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87833-110-7.
  • Algra, Keimpe (1999). "The Beginnings of Cosmology". The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-44667-8.
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