Robinson, Franklin A., Jr., 1959- (actor) Search this
Container:
Box 39, Folder 11
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1950
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but negatives and audiovisuial materials are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Some papers of living persons are restricted. Access to restricted portions may be arranged by request to the donor. Gloves required for unprotected photographs. Viewing film portions of the collection and listening to LP recording requires special appointment. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
The Archives Center does not own exclusive rights to these materials. Copyright for all materials is retained by the donor, Franklin A. Robinson, Jr.; permission for commercial use and/or publication may be requested from the donor through the Archives Center. Military Records for Franklin A. Robinson (b. 1932) and correspondence from Richard I. Damalouji (1961-2014) are restricted; written permission is needed to research these files. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
The Robinson and Via Family Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Sponsor:
Preservation of the 8mm films in this collection was made possible, in part, by a grant from the National Film Preservation Fund.
Diplomas to Frick & Co. for best traction or road engine, Best threshing machine, and Best steam plow, presented by Geo. W. Stockell & Co (agents for Frick) by the Tennessee Agricultural Association, Nashville
Collection Source:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Engineering and Industry Search this
Collection Creator:
Frick Company, George (Waynesboro, Pa.) Search this
Extent:
3 Documents (one document trimmed, 19 in x 24 in)
Container:
Map-folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Documents
Date:
1884
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Frick Company Collection, 1852-1961, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Compiled September 2010 by AAG Volunteer, Marca Woodhams
Abbreviation Key for McFarland Color Cards
AAS: -- All-America Selections. Source: AAS.
Amling: -- A. F. Amling Co., Maywood, Illinois. Later Amlings Flowers, Chicago, Illinois. Source: FL '31
Armstrong: -- Armstrong Nurseries, Ontario, California, est. 1889. Roses and fruit trees. Source: FL '31, JSA, ARM
Arnold Arb: -- Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Source: FL '31, AA
B&A: -- Bobbink & Atkins, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Roses. Source: FL '31
Babcock: -- Babcock Peony Gardens, Jamestown, New York. George B. Babcock. Peonies. Source: FL '31, WEIN
Bailey: -- Mrs. Charles D. Bailey, Clerksville [Clarksville], Tennessee. Peonies. Source: FL '31
B.H.: -- Breeze Hill, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Home of J. Horace McFarland.
Bobbink & Atkins: -- Bobbink & Atkins, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Roses. Source: FL '31, TB p.219
Bodger Seeds: -- John Bodger and Sons, Inc., El Monte, California. Founded in 1890. Wholesale flower seed business. Heirloom standards-Gleam Nasturtium, Crackerjack Marigolds, Zinnia Envy, etc. Source: BOD, LOMPOC
Bosley: -- Bosley Nursery, Mentor, Ohio. Specialized in roses. Source: FL '31, MENT
Breck: -- Joseph Breck & Co., Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1818. Source: FL '32
Breeze Hill: -- Breeze Hill, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Home of J. Horace McFarland. Source: TB
Clint McDade: -- Founder of Rivermont Orchids, Signal Mountain, Tennessee. Also Clint McDade & Sons and Semmes Nursery [specialized in camellias and azaleas]. Orchid hybridizer. Source: AOS, AZO, PF
Conard & Jones: -- Conard & Jones Co., West Grove, Pennsylvania. Established in 1897. Roses and flowering plants. Source: FL '31
Conard-Pyle: -- Conard-Pyle, West Grove, Pennsylvania. After 1907 when Pyle purchased Conard & Jones Co. Roses. Source: FL '31
CP: -- Conard-Pyle, West Grove, Pennsylvania. Source: FL '31
C.P.: -- Conard-Pyle, West Grove, Pennsylvania. Source: FL '31
CP Co.: -- Conard-Pyle, West Grove, Pennsylvania. Source: FL '31
Dreer: -- Henry A. Dreer, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded 1838. Seed and florist. Source: FL '31, TB p. 219
Eichelberger
Farr: -- Bertrand H. Farr Wyomissing Nursery Co., Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Founded 1908. Nursery. Later called Farr Nursery and Landscape Company. Source: FL '31, FARR
Gl. St. Mary: -- Glen St. Mary Nursery Company , Glen St. Mary, Florida. Founded in 1882. Citrus plants, the weaver dogwood, magnolia St. Mary, and the George L. Taber azalea. Source: FL '31, , TB, MYFL
Glen St. Mary Nursery: -- Glen St. Mary Nursery Company , Glen St. Mary, Florida. Founded in 1882. Citrus plants, the weaver dogwood, magnolia St. Mary, and the George L. Taber azalea. Source: FL '31, TB, MYFL
Greenbriar: -- Greenbrier Farms, Chesapeake, Viriginia. Started by Robert Earl Thrasher. Fruit trees.
G.S.M.: -- Glen St. Mary Nursery Company , Glen St. Mary, Florida. Founded in 1882. Citrus plants, the weaver dogwood, magnolia St. Mary, and the George L. Taber azalea. Source: FL '31, TB, MYFL
Hastings: -- H. G. Hastings Seed Co., Atlanta, Georgia. Founded 1889. Source: ART, VSC
Herbst Brothers, 92 Warren Street, New York, NY: -- Herbst Brothers, Seedsmen, Inc., New York, New York. Seedsmen. Source: OSU
Hicks: -- Hicks Nurseries, Inc., Westbury, New York. Founded 1853. Trees. Source: FL '30, HICKS
Hume: -- H. Harold Hume [Hardrada Harold Hume], botanist and dean of the College of Agriculture, University of Florida. Azaleas of the Glenn Dale type named after him. Source: PA
IK
Indian Spring Farms: -- Indian Spring Farms, Inc., Baldwinsville, New York. Asters and peonies. Source: SHACK
J&P: -- Jackson & Perkins, Newark, New York. Founded in 1872. Roses. Source: FL '31
Jackson & Perkins: -- Jackson & Perkins, Newark, New York. Founded in 1872. Roses. Source: FL '31
J. H. Hill: -- Joseph H. Hill Co., Richmond, Indiana. Son of Edward Gurney Hill who started a business in 1881 called Hill & Co., later E. G. Hill Co., Richmond, Indiana. Later with his brothers-in-law, Fred Lemon and Earl Mann, he formed a distribution company called Hill Floral Products Co. The company closed in 2007. Roses. Source: FL '31, HR, AARS
Kelway: -- James Kelway. Kelways Plants, Ltd., Langport, Somerset Levels, England. Founded in 1851. Peonies. Source: CB
Lemoine: -- Victor Lemoine, Nancy, France. 1852 first mention of work in Revue Horticole. Hybridist of lilacs. Also Portulaca grandiflora, Begonias, Peony, Pelargoniums. Son Emile and Grandson Henri Lemoine carried on the business until 1960. Source: CB, TAY
Lindley Nurs.: -- J. Van Lindley Nursery Co., Pomona, North Carolina and Lindley Nursery, Greensboro, North Carolina. Formerly Pomona Nursery est. in 1877. Peach trees. Source: FL '30, '31, GHM
Livingston: -- Livingston Seed Co., Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1850. Tomatoes, etc. Source: VSC
Lohrman Seed Co.: -- Lohrman Seed Co., 404 Macomb, Detroit, Michigan. Est. 1893. Source: OSU
Market
Masonic Home "E" town: -- Masonic Home, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Est. 1910. Now called Masonic Village.
McGinness: -- C. R. McGinnis, Reading, Pennsylvania. Rose hips. Source: FL '32
Miche
Miss Trump: -- Bess E. Trump, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Source: TRUMP, ARA
Mrs. Bailey: -- Mrs. Charles D. Bailey, Clerksville [Clarksville], Tennessee. Peonies. Source: FL '31
Murrell: -- Edwin Murrell est. Portland Nurseries, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Rose nursery and seed shop. Sons Owen and Edwin Foley Murrell ran shop starting in 1928. Hilda Murrell, daughter of Owen ran Edwin Murrell Ltd. during its golden years, 1949-1970. Roses. Source: GAR
N.C.
Oberlin Peony Gardens: -- Oberlin Peony Gardens, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. Tritomas and tree peony propagation. Source: OSU
ART: -- "F. J. Cooledge and Sons Company - Hastings' Seed Company." -- Marietta Street ARTery Association -- . Web. 22 Apr. 2010. -- http://www.artery.org/Cooledge-HastingsSeedCo.htm
AZO: -- "Did you ever wonder how an orchid hybrid got its name and information about the hybridizer?" -- The Arizona Orchidist -- , v.43 n.6, June 2007 p.4 [Clint McDade and Rivermont Orchids, Signal Mountain, Tennessee; later Semmes Orchids, Alabama]
BONN: -- "Book of Bonawitz and Bonewitz, part 2, chapter 18, page 1, Feb. 1969." -- Lee R. Bonnewitz -- . 1969. Web. 10 Jun.2010. -- http://bonnewitz.org/Part2/18-01.htm
BRIS: -- A Catalogue of forest trees, evergreen and flowering shrubs, fruit trees, herbaceous, green-house, and hot-house plants, cultivated and sold by John Miller, nurseryman, seedsman, and florist -- . Bristol, CT: Bristol Nursery, 1826.
BURP: -- "The legacy of W. Atlee Burpee." -- W. Atlee Burpee & Co -- . 2010. Web. 17 Jun. 2010. -- http://www.burpee.com/contentarticle.do?itemID=574
CB: -- Carsten Burkhardt's Web Project Paeonia List of breeders, growers, nurseries, etc -- . Web. 10 Jun. 2010 [James Kelway and Victor Lemoine] -- http://www.paeo.ed/h1/sau_sil/wister/buch/135_137.html
DAV: -- PlantFiles -- Detailed information on garden epony Paeonia lactiflora 'Walter Faxon.' Web. 2010 -- http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/190366
FARR: -- "History of Farr Nursery and Landscape Company." -- Farr Nursery and Landscape Company -- . 2002. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. -- http://farrnursery.com/history.php
FL: -- Breeze Hill Gardens (Harrisburg, Pa.) -- Finding-list of plants at Breeze Hill Gardens, Harrisburg, Penna., at the residence of J. Horace McFarland. . .: including trial gardens of the J. Horace McFarland Company -- . Harrisburg, PA: s.n., 1930-1932. [These volumes were annotated by Glendon A. Stevens, J. Horace McFarland's gardener.]
GAR1: -- "Non-competitive exhibits," -- The Garden an illustrated weekly journal of horticulture in all its branches -- , v.62 n.1606, August 30, 1902 p.156. [Edward Murrell]
GAR2: -- "Victor Lemoine, plant hybridist, an appreciation." -- The Garden Magazine -- , May 1917 p. 234. Web. 20 Apr. 2010 -- http://www.earthlypursuits.com/GardenMag/GardenMag0517-234.htm
GEL: -- Gelderen, D. M. van, Piet C. Jong, Herman John Oterdoom. -- Maples of the world -- . Portland, OR: Timber Press, 1994. p.309. [Gulf Stream Nursery, Virginia]
HAR: -- Harper, Raymond L. -- A history of Chesapeake, Virginia -- . Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2008. p.62. [Greenbrier Farms Nursery, Chesapeake, Virginia; later Greenbrier Nursery Products]
MENT: -- "History of Mentor Timeline." -- City of Mentor -- . Web. 2010. [Bosley Nursery, Mentor, OH] -- http://cityofmentor.com/wp-content/uploads/History-Timeline.doc
MOB: -- "Clint McDade dies." -- Mobile Register -- , Thursday, October 2, 1986.
MRM: -- McFarland, J. Horace. -- Memoirs of a Rose Man -- . Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1949.
MYFL: -- "The great Floridians 2000 program." -- My Florida.com, Division of Historical Resources -- . Web. 15 Apr. 2010. [official portal of the state of Florida] [Glen St. Mary Nursery Co., FL] -- http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/floridians/?section=g
NY1: -- The Talk of the Town, "The Flower Man," -- The New Yorker -- , April 7, 1928, p. 17. [Max Schling]
NY2: -- Harriman, Margaret Case, Profiles, "For Any Occasion," -- The New Yorker -- , July 18, 1936, p. 18. [Max Schling]
OSU: -- "Nursery and seed trade catalogues, 1832-1966." -- Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections -- . 2010.
PA: -- "J. Horace McFarland Papers Container Listings, MG-85 American Civic Association Correspondence, 1908-1924, Box 5." -- Pennsylvania State Archives -- . Web. 15 Apr. 2010. -- http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/Bah/dam/mg/ys/m85ys3.htm
ROE: -- Fusco, Mary Ann Castronovo. "A family of some cultivation." -- New York Times, New Jersey Weekly Desk -- , March 28, 1999. Web. 18 Jun. 2010 [Julius Roehrs Co., East Rutherford, NJ] -- http://www.juliusroehrs.com/inthenews.html
SHACK: -- "Baldwinsville's premiere flower businesses 1902-1934. The story behind the Museum's Heritage Peony Collection, Indian Spring Farms, Inc. and H. B. Williams Aster specialist." -- Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse -- . 2008. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. -- http://www.shacksboromuseum.com/flower_farms.htm
STAR: -- "Our story." -- Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co -- . 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. -- http://ww.starkbros.com/About/ourStory.jsp
TAY: -- Taylor, Judith. "The legacy of Victor Lemoine: hybridizing on a heroic scale." -- Rare Book Review -- , June 2004 p. 42-43. Web. 20 Apr. 2010 -- http://horthistoria.com/?p=115
TB: -- Morrison, Ernest. -- J. Horace McFarland: A Thorn for Beauty -- . Harrisburg, PA: commissioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1995.
TRUMP: -- Trump, Bess E. -- Handbook of botanical names of trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, bulbs, etc -- . Harrisburg, PA: J. Horace McFarland Co., [19 ?]
VSC1: -- "Seed company histories and timelines, including selected seed related organizations." -- Victory Seed Company. 2009 -- . Web. 22 Apr. 2010 -- http://www.saveseeds.org/seedsmen/company_history.html
VSC2: -- "A.W. Livingston & Company, a business timeline." -- Victory Seed Company -- . Web. 22 Apr. 2010. -- http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/livingston/history.html
WALL: -- "Waller Flowerseed Company and Lionel Waller. " Web. 21 Apr. 2010. [website by the grandson of Lionel Waller] -- http://wanderingthewest.com/waller/wallerseed.html
WEIN: -- Weinard, F. F. and Dorner, H. B. -- Peonies: single and Japanese in the Illinois trial garden -- . Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, 1938. [Babcock Peony Gardens, Jamestown, NY; Bonnewitz Gardens (Lee R. Bonnewitz), Van Wert, OH]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
For information or study purposes only. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, J. Horace McFarland Company Collection.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Theodore E. Boyd World War I Collection, Accession 2013-0016, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Theodore E. Boyd World War I Collection, Accession 2013-0016, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Theodore E. Boyd World War I Collection, Accession 2013-0016, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Collection Citation:
United States Women in Aviation 1940-1985 Research Materials, NASM.1995.0062, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
New York Airways Collection, Acc. NASM.1992.0052, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Collection, Acc. 1992.0023, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Collection, Acc. 1992.0023, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Collection, Acc. 1992.0023, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
The Maid of Cotton (MOC) beauty pageant was sponsored by the National Cotton Council, Memphis Cotton Carnival, and the Cotton Exchanges of Memphis, New York, and New Orleans from 1939-1993. The contest was held annually in Memphis, Tennessee until the National Cotton Council and Cotton Council International moved to Dallas, Texas. Beginning with the 1985 pageant (held December 1984) the competition was held in Dallas. The pageant was discontinued in 1993 due to lack of funds, a sponsor, and changes in marketing strategies. The records include files on contestants, photographs, and scrapbooks.
Scope and Contents:
The collection contains the records for the Maid of Cotton pageant (1939-1993) sponsored by the National Cotton Council (NCC), Memphis Cotton Carnival, and the Cotton Exchanges of Memphis, New York, and New Orleans. The collection consists of approximately 38 cubic feet of records created by the NCC in the course of operating the Maid of Cotton contest from 1939 to 1993. The records form the complete archive of this fifty-four year program. The records include administrative files, scrapbooks, photographs, slides, and videotapes.
"One of the main values of the Maid of Cotton collection is its completeness. These are all of the official records of the program, documenting all of its activities throughout its entire existence from 1939 to 1993. As such, it represents a truly unique documentary record and opportunity for research.
Beauty contests have been the subject of serious scholarly study for many years. A search of WorldCat reveals over fifty books on the topic. Scholars have found the subject to be a fruitful springboard from which to study a wide variety of topics, primarily centered around issues of beauty, femininity, culture values, national identity, racism, and feminism.
Beauty pageants serve as symbols that reflect the values of American culture. For example, pageant winners have symbolized the advances made by formerly disenfranchised groups. Vanessa Williams, the first African American to win the Miss America crown (1983), rewrote the definition of beauty in America, and Heather Whitestone, the first deaf Miss America (1995), proved that physical handicaps need not hold anyone back from their dreams. Pageants can provide a focus for the re-examination of our society and culture. The tragic murder of six-year-old Jonbenet Ramsey in 1996 provided a window into what author Susan Anderson calls "the extravagant world of child beauty pageants," that led to public debate about issues of motherhood and adolescence.
In addition, beauty pageants can be viewed in advertising terms: they are the ultimate expression of the tried and true adage that sex sells. All pageants have sponsors and all sponsors want their products to be seen in a positive light. Some sponsors are content to contribute goods and services to the contestants --a new car, a trip to the Caribbean, a fur coat, etc. --so that their generosity can be noted in the publicity surrounding the contest. Others prefer to sponsor the entire program. The Miss Universe contest, for example, was created in 1952 by the Jantzen Company specifically to enable the company to showcase pretty girls wearing its swimsuits. Jantzen abruptly withdrew its previous support of the Miss America pageant when Yolande Betbeze refused to wear a bathing suit during her reign as Miss America 1951. The Maid of Cotton pageant is a highly organized, year-long, very visible public relations program that allows the National Cotton Council to showcase the wonders of cotton through the wonders of young beauty queens. Attractive young women are the perfect vehicle for promoting fashionable fabrics made from cotton.
Cotton --the product at the heart of the Maid of Cotton program --has been central to American economic and political history. NMAH's collecting and research interests reflect this. The Division of Work & Industry contains numerous cotton-related objects and much documentation on the subject. The Archives Center holds several cotton-related collections, including the Peter Paul Haring Papers, 1897-1935, documenting Haring's development of cotton picking machinery; the Lockwood Greene collection of thousands of engineering drawings, many of which were for textile mills; the Robert L. Shurr Script and Scrapbook for a 1939 biographical motion picture on Dr. George Washington Carver; and the Southern Agriculture Oral History Project Records, 1985-1992, which documents modern cotton farming through photography and oral history interviews. In addition, all aspects of cotton production, from farm to factory to finished goods, are documented in several hundred photos in the Underwood & Underwood Agricultural Photonegative Collection, the Underwood & Underwood Glass Stereograph Collection, the Division of Work & Industry Lantern Slide Collection, and the Donald Sultner-Welles Photograph Collection. Cultural aspects of cotton can be discovered in both the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana and in the DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music." (Orr, Craig. "NMAH Collections Committee", memorandum, 2009)
Series 1, Organizational and Pageant Files, 1939-1993, undated., is arranged chronologically by year. Files may contain correspondence, photographs, news clippings, radio commercial scripts, tear sheets, itineraries, trip reports, sheet music, legal documents, waivers, and permissions, and other material related to the Maid of Cotton pageant for that year. Files may also contain subsequent personal information on the Maid of Cotton for that year, for example change of address, news clippings, and the like. This series contains finalist files, trip files and tour report files.
Series 2, Photographs, Slides, and Transparencies, 1939-1994, undated., is arranged chronologically by year. This series contains photographs, slides, and transparencies related to the Maid of Cotton and her travels throughout the United States and overseas. It also contains photographs of the fashions worn by each Maid.
Series 3, Scrapbooks, 1951-1988, contains the scrapbooks created by the National Cotton Council office as well as scrapbooks created by the Maids themselves or others for her. Scrapbooks most often contain news clippings, ephemera, and sometimes correspondence.
Series 4, Audio-Visual, 1991-1993. This series contains video and audio related to the Maid of Cotton. It is currently unprocessed.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged into four series.
Series 1: Organizational and Pageant Files, 1939-1993, undated
Subseries 1.1: Maid of Cotton files, 1939-1993
Subseries 1.2: Little Miss Cotton, 1956-1963, undated
Series 2: Photographs, Slides, and Transparencies, 1939-1994, undated
Subseries 2.1: Photographic Negatives and Transparencies, 1939-1993, undated
Subseries 2.2: Slides, 1939-1993, undated
Series 3: Scrapbooks, 1951-1988
Series 4: Audio-Visual, 1991-1993, undated
Biographical / Historical:
The Maid of Cotton pageant began in 1939. The annual pageant was sponsored by the National Cotton Council (NCC), Memphis Cotton Carnival, and the Cotton Exchanges of Memphis, New York, and New Orleans. The pageant was held in Memphis, Tennessee, in conjunction with the Carnival until the 1980s.
In mid-December every year the NCC released a list of contestants. Contestants were required to have been born in one of the cotton-producing states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas or Virginia. They might have also been born in the cotton-producing counties of Alexander, Jefferson, Massac, Pulaski, Williamson or Madison, Illinois or in Clark or Nye counties of Nevada. There were usually twenty contestants each year.
Contestants were judged on personality, good manners, intelligence, and family background as well as beauty and an ability to model. A Top Ten were chosen and then a Top Five, and finally second and first runners up and a winner. Winners served as goodwill and fashion ambassadors of the cotton industry in a five-month, all-expense tour of American cities. In the mid-1950s the tour expanded globally. In the late 1950s a Little Miss Cotton pageant was begun but lasted only until 1963 before being discontinued. In the mid-1980s Dallas,Texas took over the pageant, in conjunction with the NCC and its overseas division, Cotton Council International. In 1986, to bolster interest and participation, the NCC eliminated the rule requiring contestants to be born in a cotton-producing state. The pageant was discontinued in 1993, one of the reasons being that Cotton Inc. stopped contributing scholarship money as well as waning public interest and changing marketing strategies. (pageantopolis.com website accessed April 2012.)
"The National Cotton Council is the official trade association of the cotton industry. The NCC was founded in 1939 to promote the interests of cotton farmers, ginners, brokers, and manufacturers from the Southern, cotton-growing states. Its mission evolved over the years as new uses for cotton and its byproducts have been found; as competition from synthetic fibers developed; as fashion tastes changed; as government regulation increased; and in response to foreign competition in both farming and manufacturing . The NCC website states that its modern-day mission is "to ensure the ability of all U.S. cotton industry segments to compete effectively and profitably in the raw cotton, oilseed and U.S.-manufactured product markets at home and abroad." Throughout its existence, the NCC has been the contact point for issues affecting its members, legislators in Congress, allied agribusiness, and consumers.
One of the first NCC programs undertaken by to promote the versatility and value of cotton to consumers was the Maid of Cotton program, begun in 1939. This consisted of a beauty pageant open to young women born in one of the seventeen southern cotton growing states. The contestants were evaluated on the basis of beauty, personality, poise, good manners, and intelligence; a family background in cotton production was especially helpful. The girls had to apply for selection to compete in the program. At first this was done directly to the Memphis-based program but eventually a system of state Maid of Cotton programs were established, whose winners went on to compete in the national Maid of Cotton contest. The Maid of Cotton received numerous prizes, whose value and variety tended to increase over the years. In the late 1940s, the program added a scholarship prize, probably in emulation of the Miss America contest. The Maid of Cotton pageant was held each December in Memphis as part of that city's Cotton Carnival festivities. The winner was featured prominently on her own float in the Cotton Carnival parade, was feted at prestigious Carnival events, and was treated as royalty wherever she went. Selection as the Maid of Cotton carried a high degree of status and mature ladies in the South to this day proudly identify themselves as such.
The Maid of Cotton's main function, once crowned, was to serve as a goodwill and fashion ambassador for cotton; any publicity she gained was automatically positive publicity for the cotton industry. Accompanied by an NCC-appointed manager, the Maids embarked on an all-expenses-paid tour. The Maids appeared in full regalia at public events such as county fairs, parades, and holiday events; starred in fashion shows featuring all-cotton outfits; gave speeches to local chambers of commerce and other groups; and in general were the attractive personification of the cotton industry wherever they went. At first, the tours concentrated on the cotton states but they were later extended to major cities outside the cotton belt and came to include visits to legislators on Capitol Hill. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the Maids began touring internationally and in the 1970s and 1980s they frequently headed up fashion shows in Asia.
Over time, however, the publicity value of an industry-anointed beauty queen lost its attraction both to the public and --more importantly --to the press. In addition, the role of cotton in the South, particularly in Memphis, declined. In 1986 the contest was moved from Memphis to Dallas. Eventually the cotton industry withdrew its support for the program's scholarships; the 1993 Maid of Cotton was the last to be crowned." (Orr, Craig. "NMAH Collections Committee", memorandum, 2009)
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center
National Cotton Council Records, circa 1960s-1980s (AC1177)
Southern Agriculture Oral History Project Records, 1986-1991 (AC0773)
Provenance:
This collection was donated by the Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange on October 14, 2009.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but the negatives are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
U.S.D.A. Photograph by Purdy. "No. 1 -- Alice Erle Beasley, 1941 Maid of Cotton, sitting atop a cotton-wrapped bale of cotton in the patio of the Department of Agriculture administration building, gives a miniature cotton-wrapped bale to Secretary of Agriculture Claude R. Wickard, of Indiana. The Secretary has in his hand an invitation to the Memphis Cotton Carnival, May 13-17, signed by Gov. Cooper. The cotton house of the Surplus Marketing Administration, Marketing Division, Department of Agriculture, is in the background."
Arrangement:
Box No. Blue photo box, folder: 1941.
Local Numbers:
AC1176-0000024.tif (AC Scan No.)
Exhibitions Note:
Displayed in Archives Center exhibition, "The Experience of a Lifetime: The Maid of Cotton Story, 1939-1993", from December 1, 2010 to March 25, 2011. Craig Orr, curator.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but the negatives are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, W. Atlee Burpee & Company Records.
