Dick LaBonté Anchor & Palette Gallery

Miss America, 1924

There were 83 girls in the 1924 Miss America contest (representing cities, not states), and the artist selected 25 for this painting, working from a black and white photo. This was the fourth Miss America pageant, and there was a strong feeling even then that the girls were being harassed and exploited. The YWCA passed a resolution decrying the "unscrupulous" promoters and "shocking costumes." Trenton pulled out in disgust. The winner was Miss Philadelphia. Once a customer came in the gallery and told me that Miss Long Branch was her grandmother! She had old photos of the event. One of the fun percs of running the gallery was the stories customers told me about subjects in the paintings, which I would relate to my dad later. He loved hearing them too.

Image size: 9x13.

Offset lithograph. Open edition. Signed copies only.

$90


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