Miss Northwestern 1945
Jun 17, 2016
By Elizabeth Borja
Jun 17, 2016
By Elizabeth Borja
The Northwestern Aeronautical Corporation (NAC) in St. Paul, Minnesota documented company life during WWII in a series of wooden scrapbooks created for company president John E. Parker. The company supported a softball league with batting averages to shame Ted Williams and a league-leading hockey team. For Thanksgiving, employees received a turkey, compliments of the company. And in June 1945, the company sponsored the Miss Northwestern beauty contest.
Flyer advertising the "Miss Northwestern of 1945" beauty contest held for the daughters of Northwestern Aeronautical Corporation employees, June 1945.
A purple mimeograph flyer askes, “Have you a future ‘Miss America’ in your home?” Daughters of employees ages eight years or younger were eligible to enter to contest. Grand prize? A $25 war bond. Throughout the war, Miss America and other beauty pageant contestants had been featured in war bonds drives, and NAC employees, in addition to being responsible for assembling up to 15 wooden gliders a day, were up to the patriotic task.
Young girls wearing contestant numbers line a stage as participants in the "Miss Northwestern" beauty contest held for daughters of employees of the Northwestern Aeronautical Corporation, June 17, 1945.
On June 17, approximately twenty-five girls lined up on the stage at nearby Excelsior Amusement Park, in what appears to be the same location for Miss Minnesota contests in the 1940s and 1950s. The Parker collection does not include a program, but from a photograph of the pageant, there appears to be an emcee, piano accompaniment, and judges, with a well-dressed audience (and a few other children running around) in the foreground.
And at the end of the day, a young girl was crowned “Miss Northwestern 1945,” her family going home with the $25 war bond.
The history of beauty contests and the social impact of beauty culture in the United States is one frequently visited in modern scholarly works. Articles that may be of interest include an overview of the development of 20th century beauty culture; a study of corporate pageants in postwar America; a part of a Smithsonian Magazine series on the history of the swimsuit, particularly as it applies to pageants; and a PBS American Experience documentary on Miss America.
We rely on the generous support of donors, sponsors, members, and other benefactors to share the history and impact of aviation and spaceflight, educate the public, and inspire future generations. With your help, we can continue to preserve and safeguard the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts representing the great achievements of flight and space exploration.
We rely on the generous support of donors, sponsors, members, and other benefactors to share the history and impact of aviation and spaceflight, educate the public, and inspire future generations. With your help, we can continue to preserve and safeguard the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts representing the great achievements of flight and space exploration.
