Miss Subways allows people to view hidden histories of everyday life in New York that touch upon the changing ideals and aspirations of women, the struggle for civil rights, and the rise of a modern culture of beauty, consumption, fashion, and image-making. These are, in fact, significant themes in the annals of New York and America’s history.
“Miss Subways” was a title accorded to individual New York City women between 1941 and 1976. The woman who was Miss Subway at any one time appeared on posters placed on New York City Subway trains, along with a brief description of her. In 1957, it was estimated that 5.9. million people viewed Miss Subway daily, using 14,000 placards within trains. The program was run by the New York Subway Advertising Company. Around 200 women held the title during the program’s run. Ellen Hart has held many Miss Subway reunions over the years.
The Miss Subways phenomenon was very important to the people of Manhattan, and has lived happily in the memory of many New Yorkers who lived in that time. The following books were inspired by the pageant. The Subway Girls by Susie Orman Schnall is a dual-timeline novel, about a 1949 woman and a modern day executive whose lives intersect. It is very reminiscent of the time period and the wonder that was Miss Subways, and really shows how the contest was all about promoting feminism and the power of women even back in the 40s and 50s. Meet Miss Subways by Amy Zimmer, with Fiona Gardner and Kathy Peiss effectively dives into the details of Miss Subways. One by one, it discusses each winner and their various accomplishments and adventures, including a solid description of their personalities, the very reason they were selected in the first place. This nonfiction work is the perfect anthology of the saga of Miss Subways and I, for one, highly recommend it!
Ellen graduated from Jamaica High School in 1959, the same year that she was named Miss Subway and her picture was plastered on subway cars all around New York City. Her Miss Subway title opened up opportunities for Ellen, from modeling gigs to invites to singing the national anthem at Madison Square Garden. She opened the first Ellen’s Café with her husband Irving Sturm, which became a hub for city officials, politicians, journalists, and five mayors.
After 31 years of Ellen’s Café and the death of her husband, Ellen opened Ellen’s Stardust Diner, the singing food joint that has grown to become a Times Square staple for theater fans and tourists alike.
Join us on Thursday, May 2nd at 11am as Ellen Hart, winner of Miss Subway 1959 and owner of the world-famous Broadway diner with singing waitstaff, joins fellow awardees to look back on their fascinating lives after winning Miss Subways.
On this day twelve winners will gather to honor their achievements at the retro-themed diner located within the heart of New York.
