To increase attendance the following year, changes were made to the program. While the event did bring visitors in, it wasn’t the smashing success that they had hoped for. The first Fall Frolic was held on September 25, 1920. What they were trying to do was to get people to visit Atlantic City after Labor Day, which marks the traditional end of summer here in the United States, after which beach resorts like Atlantic City became ghost towns. A big change would occur when businessmen in the resort town of Atlantic City, New Jersey held what they referred to as a “Fall Frolic.” The planners never set out to create a national beauty pageant. Resorts and entertainment venues began to host beauty pageants, although they were strictly localized events. Others around the country picked up on Barnum’s idea and soon the exhibition of submitted photographs became a respectable way for young women to have their beauty judged.īy the early part of the 20 th century, social norms began to change. Barnum sold his museum shortly before the judging ever began. In addition, a book of portraits titled the “World’s Book of Female Beauty” would be published in France for the whole world to see.
The prize for being among the top ten of the winners was a specially commissioned oil painting based on their photos. Women would submit photographs of themselves which Barnum intended to display in his museum and then have his patrons vote for the most beautiful woman. His solution was to have a picture photo contest. Due to the conservative nature of society at the time, Barnum was unable to find enough women willing to publicly place themselves on display.
Surprisingly, that was one beauty pageant that he couldn’t pull off.
It was only a matter of time before he turned his attention to “the handsomest ladies” in the United States. Barnum – who, back in the 1850s, began holding contests before paying audiences to select the best chicken, dog, flower, and child in all of America. Yet, the first truly modern beauty contest here in the United States is said to have begun with perhaps the most famous showman of all time – P. The judging of beauty, both male and female, has probably been going on since the beginning of mankind.
0 kommentar(er)
