A gallery of Manila Carnival Posters used in the promotion of the national fair. Some of the artworks were done no less than by Fernando Amorsolo. The changing graphic designs reflect the prevailing art style of the era--from westernized characers to more Filipino imageries, from detailed conservatism, to streamlined art deco.
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| 1909 QUEEN OF THE OCCIDENT, HELEN DORRINGTON |
The quest for dual queens to rule over the festivities of the national fair was continued when the 2nd edition of the Manila Carnival went underway in 1909. There was no problem with the search for the Oriental Queen as there were so many qualified beauties to choose from--the Ilocana Julia Agcaoili was elected to reign as the native sovereign. Finding the Occidental Queen to succeed Marjorie Colton was more challenging as there were few American misses around at that time.
To make
the lives of the carnival organizers easier, one of the ladies in Miss Colton’s
1908s court was quickly handpicked to take over her throne—Nebraska-born Helen
Minor Dorrington (b. 5 Aug. 1888/ d. 5 Mar. 1984). The 21-year old beauty came
from a family of impeccable pedigree, the daughter of Col. Lafayette Albert
Dorrington (b. Feb. 1864/ d. 8 Oct.1934), a Spanish-American War veteran.
He had
served as the government receiver of land in Chadron, back in 1888, when the government opened up the
Sioux Indian lands for homesteading. Entering the Spanish-American War, he
served as a first lieutenant in the 34th infantry and later in the Philippine-American
War, where he commanded a group of 50 male scouts.
After
the war, and upon the establishment of the civil government in 1900, Dorrington
was made the custodian of all government buildings in Manila. He also was member
of the Masonic and Elks lodges in Manila.
Helen’s
mother was Cordelia Augusta Minor, a Missouri native (b.12 Jul. 1863/d. 12 Jan.
1957), a direct descendant of Mary Ball, the mother of George Washington, and a
member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She and her husband lived
in Manila with their daughter, Helen, for many years, and became a prominent
part of the growing American community that regularly took part in social
activities and goodwill-building events that included the Manila Carnival.
QUEEN OF THE ORIENT, JULIA AGCAOILI
From a
member of the 1908 Occidental court, Helen became the Queen of the Occident, reigning
alongside the native Queen of the Orient. Not much is known about her reign;
one extant picture of her appears on a 1909 Carnival supplement published by
Philippine Free Press. It shows a crowned, aristocratic-looking woman with an
austere smile, dressed in a glittering gown, and bedecked with jewellery like
necklaces and rings.
Four years after her 15 minutes of fame, Helen Dorrington returned to the United States in 1913, following the appointment of her father as chief inspector of the interior department in Washington. It was here that Helen met and married Air Force Col. Henry Clinton Kress Muhlenberg of Missouri (b. 6 Nov 1886/ 20 Dec. 1967).
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| HELEN'S HUSBAND, COL. HENRY KRESS MUHLENBERG |
The Dorringtons stayed in Washington for twelve years until moving to Sacramento, California in 1925 to establish the Indian Agency. Helen and Henry Kress Muhlenberg would have 2 sons, David, (b.6 May 1914/d. 28 Dec. 2010 ) and John (b.1916), and by 1944 were settled in Vista, San Diego County, along with her mother, Cordelia. David would become an air force colonel like his father, while John made Massachusetts his residence after marriage.
HELEN DORRINGTON'S GRAVE AT ARLINGTON
The
elder Dorringtons would make a final move to San Bernardino County, where Helen
was widowed in 1967. She would live for 17 more years, before passing away at
age 95 in 1984. Like her military parents and husband, they are all buried at
the Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington County, Virginia.
SOURCES:
Philippine
Free Press, 1909 Carnival Supplement
Photos: Findagrave,
Col. La Fayette A. Dorrington, Cordelia Augusta Minor Dorrington, Helen
Dorrington, Col Henry Clinton Kress Muhlenberg
“Indian
Affairs Director'sWidow Dies At Age 93”, obituary news of Cordelia Dorrington,
The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California, 17 Jan. 1957, p. 52.
(NOTE: Perhaps because of the scarcity of press coverage of the 1911 Manila Carnival, it’s been widely believed that the event proceeded without the beauty contest component of the nationwide exposition. All eyes that year, it seemed, were focused on the American aviator James C. “Bud” Mars, who came to the Carnival as part of a Pacific exhibition tour. Together with Capt. Thomas Baldwin, they flew their bi-planes 5,000 feet above the carnival tower, to the sheer delight of the crowds. For his daring, record-breaking performance, J.C. Mars was awarded a medal and valuable gifts. The New York Times even reported his feat, to the exclusion of the other events of the fair.
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| ENTRANCE TO THE CARNIVAL CITY, Photo: Mr. Sandy Lichauco |
Recently, a 1911 issue of El Renacimiento newspaper, owned by collector-blogger Mr. Sandy Lauchico, was shared on an FB site that featured a full page photo of 3 regional queens—one for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao—each presumably, of equal rank. They are reproduced on this page, with a short write-up of what we know about Elisea G. Tronqued.)
1911, Reina de Luzon: ELISEA GARCIA TRONQUED, Manila.
Elisea Garcia Tronqued (b. 1885/ d.?) was the daughter of Ramon Tronqued and the former Rosa Garcia. Her other siblings include: Matilde (wife of Jose Estella, and mother of film artist Ramon Estella), Josefa, Ildefonso Sr., Maria (married to Manuel “Toto” Mañosa, and mother of National Artist, Arch. Francisco Mañosa), and Angel Tronqued.
As a child, Elisea and her sisters Matilde and Maria were into music early, and together they formed the trio “Los Hermanas Tronqued”. They enjoyed a measure of success on the local stage in the first decade of the twentieth century, appearing with the Compania Lyrica Infantiles, a repertory of musical and theatrical performers. The Tronqued sisters also provided entertainment numbers on stage during intermissions in between silent film screenings.
This led to her sister Maria to start a movie career, after being discovered by producer Dr. Edward Gross. On the other hand, Elisea was being noticed for her beauty. Photographs of her began appearing in national magazines, and the Spanish-Filipina became one of the featured beauties in book “Album de Bellezas Filipinas” published by Philippine Free Press, which compiled pictures of the most beautiful Filipinas of 1909 to 1911.
Elisea’s crowning glory was her selection as one of the three regional queens of the second annual Carnaval de Filipinas or Philippine Carnival. At age 26, Elisea Tronqued was bestowed the title “Reina de Luzon” (Queen of Luzon) and crowned alongside with the Reina de Bisayas, Consuelo Gonzalez, and Reina de Mindanaw, Asuncion Manahan, attended by their court of little princesses and page boys.
Not much is known about the reign of the 3 queens, overshadowed by the appearance American aviator Bud Mars, whose daring aerobatic stunts awed carnival visitors and garnered more extensive press coverage, serving as the highlight of the 1911 Philippine Carnival.
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| MISS MINDANAO 1933, ANGELINA TRONQUED BIUNAS |
Reina de Bisayas: CONSUELO GONZALEZ
Reina de Mindanaw: ASUNCION MANAHAN
SOURCES:
Album de Bellezas Filipinas 1909-1911, Philippine Free Press
Pictures, courtesy of Mr. Sandy Lichauco as indicated,
Elisea Tornqued's bio: geni.com,
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