MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page


Best Swimsuit: 1922
June 17, 1922. "Washington Ad Club bathing costume contest at Tidal Basin." Miss Anna ... I'm so excited to see a new picture from the Potomac bathing suit contests! It's always nice to see Iola, even blurry, although I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2018 - 10:18pm -

June 17, 1922. "Washington Ad Club bathing costume contest at Tidal Basin." Miss Anna Niebel, "former Follies girl who lives at 1370 Harvard street northwest," took first place. At right, the unmistakable if blurry figure of Iola Swinnerton, First Lady of Shorpy, who came in second. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size.
That would be Congressman HerrickAnna Niebel hadn't just sued any ordinary person.  In 1921 she was at the center of a Washington political scandal involving first-term, only-term, Oklahoma Congressman Manuel Herrick.  The caption beneath the front-page, first-column picture of Miss Niebel in the Nov. 24, 1921 edition of the Millersburg (IN) Grit explains, "she was an entrant in Herrick's 'beauty contest,' and says he led her to believe that he would marry her."
Herrick was a real piece of work. Two months after Ms. Niebel won the June 1922 version of her multiple Tidal Basin Beauty Contest trophies, Rep. Herrick was defeated in the GOP primary, prompting him to complain that he lost because of "the indifference and gross ignorance of many people who did not take the trouble to inform themselves of the fact that he was doing the work of five congressmen."  Then the following year, the Washington Post reported that he was suing a different woman - his secretary - for breach of promise because she allegedly "used all of the arts and wiles of an adventuress before jilting him."  He also accused the secretary of promising him that she would not spend her time petting dogs after marriage but would rear children. (Those claims were thrown out.) If that were not enough, he was picked up for disorderly conduct after a young lady complained that he was annoying her. (He pled guilty.)
Unfortunate Sad that Miss Iola Swinnerton probably died before she could reap the fortunes that being First Lady of Shorpy would surely bring.
Thankfully we have the photographic proof of her beauty and style to soothe our broken hearts.
TimelessDrop the silly cap and the old-fashioned swimsuit (well, not literally "drop", or this would be some other kind of site), and this young lady would be an eyeful today.
Iola of the one swimsuitI'm so excited to see a new picture from the Potomac bathing suit contests! It's always nice to see Iola, even blurry, although I STILL hate that bathing suit! It doesn't appear to be the most updated fashion, either.  Anna's costume is an example of that; no stockings, more thigh uncovered, plunging neckline, etc.
As for Anna, I see mention of Anna Elizabeth Niebel having sued a Mr. Herrick for $50,000, in 1925, for breach of promise. I assume that was for breaking off an engagement, but can't find any more details about it!
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Iola S., Pretty Girls, Swimming)

Exhibit X: 1922
Washington, D.C., 1922. "Social Hygiene Society exhibit." A peek inside reveals the ... of it, I'm rather bemused at how the exhibits implied that bathing and kitchen sanitation have anything to do with reducing the spread of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:18pm -

Washington, D.C., 1922. "Social Hygiene Society exhibit." A peek inside reveals the period-appropriate use of scary dolls and mannequins in a variety of cryptic tableaux. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
The burning questionWhat exactly is "Social Hygiene"? It has overtones of a group shower.
[Speaking of burning. Social hygiene is how you avoid social diseases. - Dave]
"Speaking of burning."That occurred to me.
"For free distribution"I wonder how many people helped themselves to a nice glass paperweight.
Euphem-topiaI love the way they tried to communicate important information while being extremely coy and delicate about it. Couldn't the common cold be called a "social disease"? I daresay their contemporaries must have been almost as befuddled as we are today about the message.
I think my first experience with this was when I was 15, finding a 1961 National Geographic on a recycling pile. There was an ad in there for a pharmaceutical company, who boasted of working to find a cure for "the type of cancer most prevalent in women." Come on, was the word "breast" really that taboo? Apparently so.
I guess it was around the same time (mid-'80s) that Oprah pretty much singlehandedly made it OK to talk about some of these things in public. At least, that's how I remember it.
Come to think of it, I'm rather bemused at how the exhibits implied that bathing and kitchen sanitation have anything to do with reducing the spread of STDs.
PioneerI think it was Betty Ford that brought substance abuse and breast cancer out into the open.
Creepy, but just you waitCranking up for the Halloween show perhaps?
Pretty good start I'd say.
Feelthy!I'm always amazed how dirty everything looks in these old photos.  For example, where the floor meets the baseboard, and all the woodwork in general.  Is it really that dirty, or is this an issue with the photos?
Is this the weirdest Shorpy pick ever?Let's say you were rummaging through a box of old photos in the attic at your grandmother's. You find this photo - labeled on the back, even.
How in heaven or hell's name could you tell what was going on in the photo? Who are these matrons, sitting in an office with mannequins dressed as Great War soldiers in the windows next to them, with grown men staring in the windows, and in the far right of the photo, a bunch of baby dolls with strange masks over their heads? Oh, with potted palms and free literature, too?
It's like a still from "Un Chien Andalou."
For every ten shots of buildings on city corners, we get one image like this. It helps to remind us how fleeting are our fashions, our politics, and our concept of what is "normal". Thank you for both.
Gotta love that progressive era"Social hygiene" was one of the reform movements within the larger progressive movement of the period. It basically aimed to end prostitution and venereal (at the time referred to as "social") diseases. Another progressive program from that period was eugenics to breed healthier, happier people. It was generally a pretty creepy period.
(The Gallery, D.C., Education, Schools, Natl Photo)

Snow Bird: 1922
February 1922. "Woman on sled being pulled by biplane in snow, with Washington Monument ... I'll bet she didn't spend a whole lot of time in just the bathing suit! It is fortunate, however, that it was 1922 and not 50+ years later! Jenny That's a Jenny (JN4D). It's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2014 - 1:46pm -

February 1922. "Woman on sled being pulled by biplane in snow, with Washington Monument in background." Why not make the snow work with your commute, instead of against it? Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
BollingThis was taken on the shore of the Anacostia River at what was then Bolling Field, later Bolling AFB, and now Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. The building behind the airplane is the Army War College at what was then Washington Barracks; the College was the terminal point of an ensemble of buildings designed by McKim, Mead, and White and built in the first decade of the century. The Army refused to tear down certain old houses which spoiled the symmetry of the design, and the story is that Stanford White, who was responsible for it, drove out the gate in anger and never returned. The Lincoln conspirators were hanged in July 1865 where the tennis courts next to the Officers' Club are today. The College is now the National War College, and the installation is Fort Lesley J. McNair. I spent a year at the NWC in 1992-1993.
ski/sledI think that "sled" the comely lass is riding is actually a pair of airplane skis lashed together.
Meteorological LessonI bet this young lady will understand wind chill a lot better when her ride is over.
No bikinisShe doesn't look like she's cold, but I'll bet she didn't spend a whole lot of time in just the bathing suit! It is fortunate, however, that it was 1922 and not 50+ years later!
JennyThat's a Jenny (JN4D).
It's doubtful much pulling was done.  Starting an airplane on skis takes a lot of power; also the stick would be held back, which is not the case here.
Once moving, keep moving, or you have to get it moving all over again.
Miss Lois HugginsThe caption accompanying the photo in the February 4, 1922, Washington Post.


“Whee-e-e-e! If you want a real thrill try this!” said Miss Lois Huggins after accepting a dare to ride an aquaplane, pulled over snow by an airplane at Bolling field yesterday.

New SportThis story was distributed by the International News (leased) wire lines and possibly other news services.  The photo below with caption is from the February 15, 1922 newspaper The Gettysburg Times.  The second photo is from the Syracuse Herald on February 19, 1922.  
The caption on the second photo was, "Girl daredevil has new stunt.  Miss Lois Huggins, a girl daredevil and stunt performer of national fame, has devised a new thriller which she tried out recently.  Taking the idea of aquaplaning, Miss Huggins, mounted on skis rides behind an airplane that skids along the ground." 
Apparently in the summer of 1922 "Sea Sledding" or "Aquaplaning" was the big thing.  See the extensive article, including another small photo of Lois Huggins here.
(The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., Harris + Ewing)

Made It Myself: 1922
June 17, 1922. "Washington Advertising Club bathing costume contest at Tidal Basin." Our ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/29/2014 - 9:17pm -

June 17, 1922. "Washington Advertising Club bathing costume contest at Tidal Basin." Our second look at the stylish entry of Miss Anna Niebel, the "former Follies girl" who took first place. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size.
The Winning SwimsuitI think this suit won because it covers everything yet conceals nothing.
NiceShoes
Young and SmylieOur award-winning seamstress looks like she fell into a barrel of licorice sticks.
Someone's missingOdd to see a swimsuit photo without Shorpy pinup favorite Miss Iola Swinnerton being represented.
Twenty-Four Years...from here to the first Bikini.
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Pretty Girls, Swimming)

Thoroughly Modern: 1922
July 1922. Washington, D.C. "Snapped at the Tidal Basin: Mildred Kapleck with her pet opossum, the latest novelty introduced at the bathing beach." Harris & Ewing glass negative for The Washington Post. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/18/2016 - 6:18pm -

July 1922. Washington, D.C. "Snapped at the Tidal Basin: Mildred Kapleck with her pet opossum, the latest novelty introduced at the bathing beach." Harris & Ewing glass negative for The Washington Post. View full size.
Changing room basket tag?Our town pool, as late as the 70's, still used those round disc tags; the tag had the number of the basket in which you left your street clothes. However, instead of wearing them around the neck, ours had short elasticized cords so you could wear it on a wrist or ankle.
Where's his sun glasses?Fairly certain possums are nocturnal and being in the sun is probably why he looks so miserable.  In rural Louisiana some kids (pre-1970) would keep the young ones as pets until they grew their big, sharp front teeth, then out the door back to Mother Nature.
So beautifulI love the simple beauty of the girl in the photo. Not trying to be, but is just so lovely just sitting there. Great photo. 
(The Gallery, Animals, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Swimming)

Queen Anna: 1922
... prize by unanimous vote of the judges." June 17, 1922. "Winning costume at Tidal Basin bathing beach style contest ." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/02/2018 - 3:36pm -

      "Miss Anna Niebel, former Follies girl who lives at 1370 Harvard Street northwest, won first prize by unanimous vote of the judges."
June 17, 1922. "Winning costume at Tidal Basin bathing beach style contest." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
Different times, different moralsWow, can you imagine posting the home address of a beauty contest winner today?   There would be heck to pay!
Beautiful Girls Are Like OpiumThe title of one of the songs from her only credit at the Internet Broadway Database: "The Midnight Rounders of 1921." Other forgotten tunes from the show include "Sprinkle Me with Diamonds," "Would You Like to Sleep Upon My Pillow?" and "Snap a Wishbone with Me."   
PrincessIf Anna is queen, does that make second-prize-winning Iola the princess?  Not a bad title, really.  The queen is generally stately, responsible, solemn.  The princess is adventurous, risk-taking, hot.
Snail MailPrinting someone's home address was the equivalent of posting their Instagram account or email address. It was probably the only way to contact them. I suspect the ladies surrendered their addresses in the hopes of fan mail and maybe job offers.
[Actually this was standard practice for just about anyone who was the subject of a newspaper article -- addresses were given for obituaries, weddings, car accidents, robberies, graduations, etc. The quote is from an item in the Washington Post. - Dave]
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Pretty Girls, Swimming)

Breadalyzer: 1922
Washington, D.C., 1922. "Department of Agriculture. First device to accurately measure a loaf of ... the bread-measuring lab is much prettier than any of the bathing beauties seen in recent photos. How did the bread scientists... ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/01/2017 - 4:57pm -

Washington, D.C., 1922. "Department of Agriculture. First device to accurately measure a loaf of bread in cubic centimeters has been perfected by Bureau of Agricultural Economics." Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size.
The Very First... Funnel Cake.
In the eye of the beholderTo me, the lady in the bread-measuring lab is much prettier than any of the bathing beauties seen in recent photos. 
How did the bread scientists...... do their job before the invention of the bread-o-nometer?
Super-sizedPerhaps I'm ignorant of early 20th Century baking standards, but the loaves appear to be twice the size of our current standard sandwich bread loaf.
How does it work?Food Texture and Viscosity: Concept and Measurement
By Malcolm C. Bourne
© 1982, Academic Press, Inc.
p. 165
Loaf Volume Meter
This apparatus consists of a metal box connected through a rectangular chute to a hopper containing rapeseed. A loaf of bread is placed in the box, which is closed, a slide in the chute is pulled out, and the rapeseed is allowed to fill the box. A calibrated scale on a Pyralin face of the volumeter column gives the direct reading of the volume of the bread in cubic centimeters. This device is widely used in the baking industry to measure loaf volume, which is one index of quality of the loaf.
(Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kitchens etc.)

Best in Show: 1922
"Washington Tidal Basin Bathing Beach Beauty Contest -- August 5, 1922." First-prize winner Eva Fridell, who is either 17 or 111 years old, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/16/2016 - 2:01pm -

"Washington Tidal Basin Bathing Beach Beauty Contest -- August 5, 1922." First-prize winner Eva Fridell, who is either 17 or 111 years old, depending on your frame of reference. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
Not the most flattering of the pictures of Eva!Eva was a very pretty girl, with the cutest knees I've ever seen! For a more flattering picture of her, and some personal information, which my dad found and I posted in the comments, look here https://www.shorpy.com/node/12808 She married a Naval officer and lived to be 84! 
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Pretty Girls, Swimming)

Best Swimsuit (Colorized): 1922
... from this Shorpy original. It looks to me like those bathing suits would have been prone to wardrobe malfunctions. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by motobean - 01/10/2014 - 9:19pm -

Colorized from this Shorpy original. It looks to me like those bathing suits would have been prone to wardrobe malfunctions. View full size.
(Colorized Photos)

Top 20 Images of 2007
... II, 1928 (37,300 reads) No. 7: Beach Policeman, 1922 (37,100 reads) No. 8: Mr. 535-07-5248 and Wife, 1939 (36,800 reads) ... No. 17: Hi-Fi Boombox, 1954 (15,000 reads) No. 18: Bathing Girl Parade, 1920 (14,900 reads) No. 19: Migrant Mother, 1936 (14,800 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/01/2008 - 8:09pm -

Welcome to the first annual Shorpy Top 20 New Year's Eve Image Countdown, where we recap the year's most popular posts based on number of reads. You can keep track as the evening progresses on the grid below. (We'll get to the Top 10 starting around 11 p.m. Eastern Time.) And the No. 1 post of 2007, with 104,800 reads: A screen grab of  . . .  The Beaver Letter! Whew. Well that was fun but exhausting. Thanks to everyone for making this a super first year for Shorpy!

The ranking grid and read numbers reflect picture standings as of 4 p.m. Eastern time on December 31, 2007. View counts rounded to the nearest whatever.
No. 1: The Beaver Letter, 1958 (104,800 reads)
No. 2: Pie Town Dugout, 1940 (89,800 reads)
No. 3: Weeki Wachee Mermaid, 1947 (85,500 reads)
No. 4: Brooklyn Pin Boys, 1910 (84,700 reads)
No. 5: Inter-City Beauties, 1927 (73,200 reads)
No. 6: Pageant of Pulchritude II, 1928 (37,300 reads)
No. 7: Beach Policeman, 1922 (37,100 reads)
No. 8: Mr. 535-07-5248 and Wife, 1939 (36,800 reads)
No. 9: Custer Car, 1924 (24,700 reads)
No. 10: Carina Nebula (20,935 reads)
No. 11: Chicago & North Western Locomotive Shops, 1942 (20,750 reads)
No. 12: 1951 Oldsmobile Final Assembly (18,290 reads)
No. 13: Flying Fortress, 1942 (18,270 reads)
No. 14: Pageant of Pulchritude, 1928 (18,200 reads)
No. 15: The Virtual Buick, 1953 (17,300 reads)
No. 16: Carnival Ride From Hell, 1911 (16,600 reads)
No. 17: Hi-Fi Boombox, 1954 (15,000 reads)
No. 18: Bathing Girl Parade, 1920 (14,900 reads)
No. 19: Migrant Mother, 1936 (14,800 reads)
No. 20: Manhattan skyline in 1901 (14,500 reads)
The Countdown...What a great idea!  This is a good way to give the most popular images another viewing, and the grid format with the numbers makes a nice display.
As I write this, we're only at number 19 but the number for views is amazing -- nearly 15,000!  It will be interesting to see all twenty, and see if we can generalize about what kind of photographs tend to get the most views here.  
Happy New Year, one and all!
[Thanks! I'm so excited my party hat keeps falling into the champagne fountain! - Dave]
PIE TOWN!  PIE TOWN! PIE TOWN!I myself wonder why some of these were so popular. Give me a good old Pie Town picture any day. I hope there is a picture from Pie Town in the top 20. Is there Dave? Huh? Is there?
[Mayyybe. Maybe not. Only one way to find out! - Dave]
Top 20Great Idea, I wonder if a "Beaver" shows up or an out of this world photo?
[The envelopes are sealed. No holding them up to the light! - Dave]
Lovin' the countdownNow I'm kinda sorry I'm going out tonight!  I'll check back to see how it all turns out as soon as I come home.  Happy New Year, Dave, and thanks for all the great Shorpiness!
[Thanks Mattie! Too bad we can't be Tivo'd. - Dave]
Pie Town at No. 2Not bad, not bad at all. There's just something about a place called Pie Town.
[Yep, I was very happy to see that. Although it's a little sad that Shorpy himself couldn't be No. 1 (or even have a spot in the Top 20 ... although if you count his three photos as one, he got close to 20,000 views). - Dave]
The Beaver Letter!Okay, now I can go out for the evening!  This was a blast - hope you'll do it again next year!
[Yes, well. Thanks. Hope we're here next year! Which is actually this year. Happy 2008, everyone. - Dave]
Wonderful...Such a fine collection for Shorpy's first annual Top Twenty photos.
Thank you Dave, for all that you do.
Happy New Year everyone, may we all be be blessed with health, happiness, and prosperity in 2008.
(ShorpyBlog, New Year)
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.