The Second International Pageant of Pulchritude and Eighth Annual Bathing Girl Revue was held from May 21 to May 23, 1927, in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

. More contestants from outside the United States entered the pageant compared to the previous year, with women from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

joining.

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

also sent delegates, as they had in

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

. There were also 29 contestants from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. An estimated 250,000 people attended the events during that weekend, and over $5000 in prizes were given to the winners. The pageant was becoming known as an opportunity for potential movie and stage actresses to be discovered. Miss United States, Dorothy Britton, who represented

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, was crowned Miss Universe 1927 at the end of the event. She was considered the first American girl to win an international contest of any importance, as well as the first girl from New York City to win a national prize.

Events

Before the pageant opened, the contestants from Europe toured the Southwest United States for 20 days before arriving at Galveston. The Second International Pageant opened on May 21 with a parade of the contestants in sports costume after a lunch at Gaido's Restaurant. Bands such as El Toreador Band, Miss Spain's official escort Afterwards, contestants were invited to a dance on the pleasure boat Galvez. On May 22, the swimsuit parade was held. Conservative estimates put the number of people in attendance at around 250,000. The entire city was crowded, with hotels filled and heavy street traffic. Bands such as the Santa Fe Shop Band, the official escort for Miss Cleburne, the Missouri Pacific Lines Band, and the Palestine Booster's Club accompanied the parade. The main pageant was held on May 23 at the Galveston City Auditorium. There, Miss United States and the Beauty Queen of the Universe were crowned. Accommodations for the contestants were provided for at the

Hotel Galvez The Grand Galvez Resort & Spa is a historic 226-room resort hotel located in Galveston, Texas, United States that opened in 1911 as the Hotel Galvez. It was named to honor Bernardo de Gálvez, 1st Viscount of Galveston, for whom the city was nam ...

and the Hotel Dallas.

Pageant format

The 1927 pageant saw a change from the previous year, as the contest introduced the selection of a Miss United States. During the final pageant, each of the girls representing cities and states from across the United States were judged, with the top scorer gaining the title of Miss United States. Miss United States would then compete for the Grand Prize and the title of Beauty Queen of the Universe against the foreign competitors. The remaining prizes, from First through Ninth, would then be a free-for-all among the international contestants and the remaining contestants from the United States. The winner of the Grand Prize would receive $2000 and a silver plaque. In the subsequent free-for-all, First Prize received $1000, Second received $500, and Third to Ninth received $100.

Judges

The panel of judges were composed of artists, sculptors, and benefactors of the revue. Their identities remained a secret to each other and to the public until the end of the event. The criteria for judging included beauty, form, grace, and personal charm, while costumes and float decorations were not considered. The judges were as follows: *J. Knowles Hare, an artist and painter. *

Harry Tuthill Harry Nathan Tuthill (July 30, 1870 – January 31, 1935) was an American athletic trainer. He began his career as a trainer of footracers and boxers and later became a trainer in Major League Baseball and college football. He was the trai ...

, a cartoonist, creator of

The Bungle Family ''The Bungle Family'' is an American gag-a-day comic strip, created by Harry J. Tuthill, that first appeared in 1918. Originally titled ''Home, Sweet Home'', it first appeared as part of a series of rotating strips in the ''New York Evening Mai ...

. *Albert Ricker, an artist. * Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., a newspaper publisher from New York. *Enrico Cerracchio, an artist and sculptor. * Paul Robinson, cartoonist, creator of

Etta Kett ''Etta Kett'' is a long-running comic strip created by Paul Robinson, which ran from December 7, 1925 to November 9, 1974. Publication history The original distribution in December 1925 was with the Putnam Syndicate, moving over to the Centr ...

*E. H. Reynolds of St. Louis, Missouri Pacific Lines

Results

Dorothy Britton

Dorothy Britton, Miss New York, was awarded both the Miss United States title and the Beauty Queen of the Universe prize. For winning, Britton received $2000 in gold and a silver plaque engraved "Beauty Queen of the Universe". She attributed her win, in part, to a locket with her mother's picture, which she kept with her throughout the competition. After the competition, Britton began a 12-week tour in July, making appearances across the United States, such as at

Pleasure Beach Pleasure Beach is the Bridgeport portion of a Connecticut barrier beach that extends westerly from Point No Point (the portion in the adjoining town of Stratford is known as Long Beach). Prior to June, 2014, when Pleasure Beach re-opened, the a ...

, Connecticut, on July 1 and in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

, on August 22. Britton, 19, from

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

, and

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

Placements

Miss Universe and Free-for-all

Miss United States

Delegates

Thirty-eight women entered the pageant in 1927, one less from the previous year's. However, there were more competitors in the event from outside the United States compared to 1926. Also, restrictions were placed on the contestants in that they should be chosen in an elimination contest in their home city, conducted by a newspaper, theater, commercial or civic body. Contestants had to be unmarried, aged 16 to 25, and not connected with any stage presentation, movie studio, or similar industries. The contest was open to women from any city anywhere in the world except Galveston. For example, Miss Italy was chosen in a nationwide contest by Rome newspaper ''Tevere'', and Miss France was chosen in a contest conducted by

Le Journal ''Le Journal'' (The Journal) was a Paris daily newspaper published from 1892 to 1944 in a small, four-page format. Background It was founded and edited by Fernand Arthur Pierre Xau until 1899. It was bought and managed by the family of Henri ...

of Paris.

Contestants

*Miss

- Madeleine Woodman *Miss

- Angelina Anduiza *Miss

- Roberte Cusey *Miss

- Maria Gallo *Miss

- Rosa Blanq *Miss

- Lucero Guzman *Miss

- Margarida Bastos Ferreira *Miss

- Maria Casajuana *Miss

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

- Eliza Dixon *Miss

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

- Nellie Mae Pace *Miss

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County. It is the List of cities in Texas by population, 14th-most populous city in Texas and th ...

- Bonney Winslow *Miss

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

- Hannah Joseph *Miss

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

- Dorothy Rex *Miss

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

- Ada Hayden *Miss Bessemer - Lillian Rowett *Miss

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

- Lesley Storey *Miss

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

- Frances Dempsey *Miss Cleburne - Gladys Payne *Miss

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

- Modelle Ransome *Miss

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

- Dulcy Burke *Miss

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

- Mary Alice Nichols *Miss

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

- Ada Williams *Miss

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

- Gertrude Sheffield *Miss Green Bay - Betty Hopkins *Miss

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

- Alberta McKellop *Miss

Kerrville Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler- ...

- Bess Nance *Miss

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

- Frances Gadors *Miss Monroe - Jessie Rogers *Miss

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

- Mabel Riley *Miss

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

- Dorothy Britton *Miss

Oak Cliff Oak Cliff is a neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, that was formerly a separate town in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1901. It has since retained a distinct neighborhood identity as one of Dallas' older established neighborhoods. Oak Cl ...

- Bertha Mae Melchan *Miss Ogden - Mae Elizabeth Letts *Miss

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

- Kathryn Hamer *Miss

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

- Mabel Iliff *Miss Pine Bluff - Dorothy Fisk *Miss Point Isabel - Bess Enness *Miss

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

- Florence Zoeller *Miss

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

- Janet Currie

Controversy

In April 1927, a French woman who sought to enter the pageant after claiming she was the "most beautiful woman in France" was detained at

Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mi ...

. Official sponsors of Miss France, Roberte Cusey, protested her claim.

Notable guests

Major General

Mason Patrick Mason Mathews Patrick (December 13, 1863 – January 29, 1942) was a general officer in the United States Army who led the United States Army Air Service during and after World War I and became the first Chief of the Army Air Corps when it was c ...

attended the event, bringing with him a detail of over 60 planes. Also present were Congressman

Clay Stone Briggs Clay Stone Briggs (January 8, 1876 – April 29, 1933) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1919 through his death in 1933. Early life Briggs was born in Galveston, Texas, on January 8, 1876. While a child ...

and newspaper publisher Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr.

Gallery

File:Miss Universe 1927 Dorothy Britton.jpg, Miss Universe 1927
Miss New York
Dorothy Britton File:Roberte Cusey 1927.jpg, Miss France
Roberte Cusey File:Maria Alba.jpg, Miss Spain
Maria Casajuana

References

{{International Pageant of Pulchritude International Pageant of Pulchritude 1927 in Texas 1927 beauty pageants