The Miss Subways was not a typical pageant.
The photos were accompanied by a blurb detailing their interests and career aspiration.
Former Miss Subways gather for a reunion.
Millions of people saw these pretty faces as they rode the subway every day.
The photos remained for a month until the next winners replaced them.
Eventually, they remained for two monthslong enough for many to achieve starletdom.
The winners were discussed by gossip columnists, photographed for magazines, and received attention from the public.
Admirers sent them flowers and pies, and there was a torrent of marriage proposals.
Before long it had evolved into a beauty pageant in its own right.
There were Irish, Italian, Jewish, Catholic, Latina, Hispanic, Black, and Asian.
Decades before there was a black Miss America, there were many black Miss Subways.
Each month between 300 to 400 women entered the contest.
Some women sent in their own photos, others were sent in by friends and family.
Sometimes scouts from Powers modeling agency hand-picked finalists from restaurants, dinner clubs and other public places.
Powers once selected a Miss Subways who was his manicurist at the Waldorf-Astoria.
However, the initial curation from the hundreds of submissions was still done by the agency.
From these about six were nominated for public voting.
After the war, the copy reflected a shift back toward homemaking roles and traditional expectations.
In the 1970s, the New York City experiences a financial crises and the subways fell into disrepair.
At the same time, the womens liberation movement was gaining steam that increased womens reluctance to participate.
In 1976, Miss Subways came to an end.
Incidentally, the diners owner, Ellen Hart Sturm, was Miss Subways of March 1959.
