These stunning images of 1920s beauty queens reveal how ideas of beauty have changed - and how they haven't - in the last 100 years. The photographs were colorized by Irish artist Matt Loughrey of My Colorful Past.
“I think they deserved to be seen in colour as they were. A lot of these photographs were taken in Washington D.C in the early 1920s. It was a time of huge social upheaval as well as an economic shift that saw America morph into a major consumer society.” – said Matt
From the winners of seaside beauty pageants to the winner of Miss Universe the pictures give a real insight into the popularity of these contests - and the women who won them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXBzEzMSuJo5hPhDuGWBu0e3Y15vjl0HpBZQDnivkjH1Vgmi6gmbLugXmiu2nHwYpS4Vn810p0BAGQ1qvsEGu0OIIVQUgE9ygZwR2LTjN-TuWJ88DsCG5DXnvMbVb0i0D3QQVPF89lbQ/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-1.jpg) |
Portrait of a group of young women as they pose in risque bathing suits that bare the legs and knees, Washington DC, May 29, 1920. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMbpFiqxLrYGBcblYu1hVi5RCV5AS85Q32XkIItlrrDv3scJchW1LGuL3f9PuQ5OBlYboo8rIoODQ7NjEyQ1JaBz5kAyC-4QxF6UbOsLV0hgY9QCROVy56cEXxzmLICfwpbgeOsUXJvc/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-2.jpg) |
Miss Washington, Evelyn Lewis, standing proud in her modest bathing suit and knee-high stockings at the Wardman Park Hotel. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkVhwKZn9EEWQZGiq9nKXNW5CvIh3ZKPL2Sbdw-PTdeuP0q-4roT1Tg_ecq5DhnPWHKlZ2rqQfumNJyljzGukk7AYsv6F_XK9BobQhzUpN-hvqSQD_tsAG-oRtZZa_XEkX0w86sggjb4/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-3.jpg) |
Miss Chicago of 1925, Margarita Gonzales. Gonzales was a candidate for the national title at the Atlantic City beauty contest in 1925, but was eliminated in the first round. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnmE_5sdaWtLmIkZ3BPDXiktFu_08-nRxZv0m-zKYpkPd8PpNNUXan8Ze4GknHQ0ETBGf6TTK9wts5SCuimPjH8iJPg2EcOsc-_dOa8E3fDy_NUv8i224fgZtAY8AdTK300WIPUQ_8Rc/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-4.jpg) |
Beauty queen Evelyn Cushing, 24, won Miss Illinois in 1932 and went on to compete for Miss America. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLP42VHdEaEp4RKsA0cIW7xLIrs2gF7zhWMhakaX5Ks2TObQzgpQVgIq_UuLIe2-hsqGHdhqkUn7pMgfS4Gz7Mvc7QqmzMt6HegWq2fTWTy9SIZtudxiG-_AGFEl1ylBt6mI8TJlG0fQ/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-5.jpg) |
Ella Van Hueson exercising on a static bike in June 1928 after being named Miss Universe. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kXOG8TzEQ49t2zI15Hb8XktLmUEYRGTnt2BkOv3bCCVwYQxtbNeeFepkkufkaQOZEkM9GAC8Z-OwdddmKQQOOoo1uUh4p6Ihr6Zxx_WUf1BYwoHqblPNAvSd8c53I0sIu5HwAsL7BL4/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-6.jpg) |
Iola Swinnerton and Anna Neibel, winners of a beauty contest at Washington's Tidal Bathing Beach, 1922. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fkykvrAuDLPV_kclz1p49B322dVMuReMDCXZ_Y0wpvUkC0737pOxH8zE2rSL0xP5x2YenEXa6jwRuWCRLf95aGWoVedB9tYeOT_v4CjuUtBJCi5qJy9FulVsmupMYzFwMDANShwlqSM/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-7.jpg) |
Splash of color Eva Fridell receives the winners cup on August 5th 1922 at the Washington Tidal Basin beauty contest. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DlgrbCW1D8ss-5ZnGH1QAaDAMSWxpv1KHxM0xdkH3D_IlFNLva177hbJ8jaWonmB475a6aIe81pqugjPio4j7mcmvuZhGJ_ASwgHbvY-NPxFALd1unVj-Q9RGryB7Bpx_BTzaq9FlrY/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-8.jpg) |
Miss Universe Ella Van Hueson sitting in her car in 1922. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQVYLReigrUAzzC9Ht1CT5YNOoQ61w75yWbCiZIAgF4yBtAlEVwa-GEmiKL0knhmbQcv7S-mIAaTK1qYz2A16fGJ93WKLkG3OJR5UV74k1QRZwuH4DxgZFYcbInUmSiLhN6P-geHu8cM/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-9.jpg) |
Mrs. Wallace Ford models a dress that she will wear to the Miss America ball in 1927. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizffYtFr0TZPL-DUJbAundXT9U3j2BT80u6Li2Wp_Hf4sZVfr-CNPUU4FYiYoL7z-Sz_v2yU4cMtk8PsRnaq6imGK1Ee-j4_WII4Q0YJfF7s2m9yKz7GpMjSpGl2viQxZbCDlqC8mlvao/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-10.jpg) |
Eva Fridell takes the prize at the Washington Tidal Basin Beauty contest, August 1920. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViljWb4iVtWXx1ecUH0keYqRq8zbuIKNBN8QPVo9R-lvlg74ylIDXyTDoskbvF5vLPA_VWB0zjSAGvokxhY91GUF1P7RccXV-RrXWHwrXPqrqab297UjLssnFSMdIQxSLCFTCYsJXxEk/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-11.jpg) |
Miss Anna Neibel with her winners cup at the Washington Tidal Basin in 1922. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTK4-rIorY0pBf2IcWriYE-SmkwuQnFT_UxefqxbEv7E_ZDXr7LcYLcv9MsVHuSchBA-MuCCaHssNgdhNJQ0ISoVfKrPRoPdVUJpfMj7Vqp5VgQUZ_LToyY5ysM6AxXPmbA7_y3mIHe4/s640-rw/1920s-colorized-beauties-12.jpg) |
Mae Greene, 18, was chosen as Miss Chicago 1926 out of 4,000 rivals at the Trianon Ballroom. |
(Images: My Colorful Past / mediadrumworld)