Georgiana Seymour,
            Duchess of Somerset
crowned 'Queen of Beauty'
at the 1839 Eglinton
Tournament,    the first known
                        beauty pageant;

W

European festivals dating to the medieval era
provide the most direct lineage for beauty pageants.
For example, English May Day celebrations always
involved the selection of a May Queen.
In the United States, the May Day tradition
of selecting a woman to serve as a symbol
of bounty and community ideals continued,
as young beautiful women participated
in public celebrations; such as the beauty pageant
held during the Eglinton Tournament of 1839,
organized by Archibald Montgomerie,           13th Earl of Eglinton,
as part of a re-enactment of a medieval joust
that was held in Scotland;                                the pageant was won
by Georgiana Seymour,                                   Duchess of Somerset,
wife of Edward Seymour,                             12th Duke of Somerset,
and sister of Caroline Norton;
                Georgiana proclaimed "Queen of Beauty";

Entrepreneur Phineas Taylor Barnum staged
the first modern American pageant in 1854,
          his beauty contest closed down after public protest;
However beauty contests became popular
in the 1880s;     In 1888 the title of 'beauty queen'
was awarded to an 18-year-old Creole contestant
at a pageant in Spa, Belgium. All participants
had to supply a photograph & a short description
of themselves to be eligible to enter; a final selection
of 21 judged by a formal panel.
Such events were not regarded as respectable;
But beauty contests came to be considered more
respectable with the first modern "Miss America"
           contest held in 1921;
Still the oldest pageant in operation,
  the Miss America pageant was organized
in 1921 by a local businessman as a means
to entice tourists to Atlantic City, New Jersey;
The pageant hosted the winners of local
            newspaper beauty contests in the
Inter-City Beauty Contest & was attended
    by over one hundred thousand people;
Sixteen-year-old Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C.
was crowned Miss America 1921, having won both the
popularity and beauty contests, and was awarded $100

Margaret Gorman (August 18, 1905 –
October 1, 1995)
was the first Miss America,
from the year 1921.
Born August 18, 1905
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died October 1, 1995 (aged 90)
Bowie, Maryland, U.S.
Title Miss Washington, D.C.
Golden Mermaid Award
Miss America 1921
Successor Mary Campbell
Spouse(s) Victor Cahill

Margaret Gorman wins first prize at
Atlantic City; Gorman was a junior at
Western High School in Washington, D.C.
when her photo was entered into a
popularity contest at the Washington Herald.
She was chosen "Miss District of Columbia"
in 1921 at 16 on account of her athletic
ability, scholastic accomplishments and
outgoing personality. As a result of that victory,
she was invited to join the Second Annual
Atlantic City Pageant held on September 8, 1921,
as an honored guest; There she was invited
to join a new event: the "Inter-City Beauty"
Contest. She won the titles "Inter-City Beauty,
Amateur" and "The Most Beautiful Bathing
Girl in America" after competing in the Bather's
*****. She won the grand prize, the Golden
Mermaid trophy. She was expected to defend
her positions the next year but someone else
[who?] had attained the title of "Miss Washington, D.C.",
so instead Margaret was crowned "Miss America."

She still owned the sea green chiffon and
sequined dress that she wore in the 1922 competition.
Gorman continued to compete in 1922
and was a favorite of the crowds. A few years later,
she married Victor Cahill and was happily married
until he died in 1957. She lived all her life in D.C.,
became somewhat of a socialite and enjoyed traveling.
She died on October 1, 1995, age 90.