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Summer 1939. "Girlie show at carnival. Bozeman, Montana." 35mm negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.
Girlie shows were still happening in 1969 at the Hartford County Fair in Indiana. I know because my buddy and I who were 15 at the time (and probably looked about 12) managed to pass for 18 and get into the most wonderful exhibition of feminine charms that either of us had ever experienced!
I suspect that the girlie show might well have consisted of a young lady putting on stockings in her undies. Anything else would be oh, soooo shocking!
This is a great image on many levels. Just goes to show that for all of the fancy gear you can buy today, a great image has no regard for the tools.
The barker looks like Don Draper. If the writers ever see this picture they'll make it into a a flashback.
Am I the only one who wonders what a girlie show in 1939 Bozeman might be like?
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