A long time ago, a troupe of 35 baton twirlers from Sapulpa, Oklahoma, marched in the Tulsa Christmas parade. A popular local photographer, Howard Hopkins, took their picture and it ended up on a postcard. Click here to see a watermark image of the University of Tulsa Drum Major Charles Scott...
What a time to be alive, right? Look at all the men in their trench coats and hats and women with their heads covered with scarves. I can feel the cold rain and hear the tuba making its way down the winding avenue. I am 100 percent sure these photos were taken in Woonsocket, Rhode Island....
Check out this lovely rare 1940s portrait of Black majorette Mae Alice Hinkle. It was taken in 1943. Ms. Hinkle grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri where she attended Douglass High School. Formal portraits of baton twirlers and majorettes from the early 1940s are somewhat rare. The further along...
Rose Romero was a Mexican-American majorette on the El Paso High School pep squad in 1941. Below is an excerpt about the photographer who captured this beautiful image of her. Alfonso Casasola, Photographer Alfonso Casasola, a member of a famous family of Mexican photographers, came to El Paso in...
1949 All-Western Drum Majorette Queen Marilyn Watson In 1949, Marilyn Watson won the title of All-Western Drum Majorette Queen. As such, she led a four-hour parade during the 9th Annual All-Western Band Review, Long Beach, California. More than 5,000 musicians in 84 bands representing the Navy,...
Happy Fourth of July! Majorettes were made for Independence day parades and patriotic costumes! We love this photo of the Sacramento High School Majorettes from 1943. Their hair is curled, their hat fringe is festive, their American flags are held at similar jaunty angles – it’s the 1943...
Robert Olmstead was a band leader and early instructor in baton twirling in the United States. Born in California in 1915, he grew up performing in vaudeville shows. He played multiple instruments and became a highly skilled twirler who twirled batons on slackwire. In college, Olmstead...
In July 1942, majorettes filled a street car painted red, white and blue to promote the sale of war bonds and stamps during World War II. The car was to go into regular service the next day on the Broadway Line. — Chicago Tribune historical photo (LINK) Here is our restoration of this photo....
This photo features two Pennsylvania majorettes on Memorial Day during World War II. They are Jeanne Goeppert (left) and Alma Herring (right). They are standing with a floral wreath inside the Freeland Cemetery, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. This image was a good candidate for restoration....
The following images of cigarette ads featuring majorettes and drum majorettes and are for educational purposes only. purposes. The Vintage Twirler is an education and advocacy website and seeks to educate the twirling community about the history of baton twirling in America. Click here to see...
The woman in this photo is identified only as a drum majorette. The only date given is the year, 1945, so we don’t know if this was before or after World War II ended. She looks really happy, so maybe the war was over by the time this picture was taken. Fort Sheridan Women’s Army Auxiliary...
Shirley Skriven, 15, for two years National high school baton twirling champion, scores another triumph at the World’s Fair of 1940 in New York when she appears stih the Morgan Park High School Bankd of Beverly Hills, Chicago (Source: Leo Casey, Director of Publicty, World’s Fair of...
