Maude Coleman Woods
Maude Coleman Woods, or Maud Coleman Woods, was a Charlottesville native who was voted the "most representatively beautiful woman in America" in 1901. As a result, many consider her to be the first Miss America.[1]
Born in 1877, Woods was the daughter of attorney Micajah Woods. They lived on High Street and Maude attended the Virginia Female Institution in Staunton where she showed an interest in music and culture.
When she was 20 years old, her father gave his permission for Maude to be photographed for a pamphlet called "The Rosebud Garden of Girls" being produced for a reunion of Confederate generals. A New York photographer saw her image and came to Charlottesville to photograph her. Without her consent or knowledge, he submitted her photos to a contest, the winner of which would serve as the model for North America on the logo for the 1901 World's Fair (or Pan-American Exposition). She won the contest and was named "America's Most Beautiful Blonde." As a result, her identity was revealed and her picture was published nation-wide, which was considered scandalous at the time. To escape notoriety, Maude fled to Claremont, her family's estate on the James River. There, she contracted typhoid and died on August 24th[2] or 25th[1] 1901, right around her 24th birthday. She is buried at Maplewood Cemetery.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Web. Maude Coleman Woods, Susan J. Eck, "Doing the Pan", September 2001, retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ Web. America's Most Beautiful Blonde, Venton D. Blandin, 16 November 2005, retrieved 25 July 2012.