The David W. Moore Collection - Pageant of Pulchritude

Duration: 0:04:24

Year Published: 1920s

Sound: silent

Description: This 1920s home movie captures the parade of contestants during the International Pageant of Pulchritude. Originally known as the Bathing Girl Revue, the pageant was a Galveston tradition from 1920 to 1932. Contests for both “Miss United States” and “Miss Universe” titles were held, with bathing suit modeling as one of the main categories for judging. Women from as far as Holland, Austria, France, and Romania are featured. Heading downtown, the Moores witness a parade of several Ford Runabouts and Model A’s. The family is finally seen in a yard tending to cows, chicks, and pigeons.