The Queen of the May and her friends back in the early 20th century at the University of Maryland College Park. Not all maidens in white dresses but more costumed up. They still have these at a few women’s colleges in the United States. I would assume it is a British folk tradition that migrated to America.

Photographs 3 Minutes
Women dressed as gypsy dancers posing with each other for a May Day celebration held at the University of Maryland College Park on May 15, 1930. College Park, Maryland. Photographer not given. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age.
See the link to see it bigger https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:687756?query=Adele%20Stamp 
Woman posing dressed as a gypsy dancer for a May Day celebration held at the University of Maryland College Park on May 15, 1930. College Park, Maryland. Photographer not given. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:687758?query=Adele%20Stamp S
Kneeling before the May Queen, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. 1923.
Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. via  https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:97659?query=Adele%20Stamp
Women posing while dressed as gypsy dancers with tambourines for the May Day celebrations, May 15, 1930. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. via  https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:687754?query=Adele%20Stamp
May Queen, Evelyn Rideout, and her court at May Day celebrations, May 15, 1930. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. via https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:687750?query=Adele%20Stamp
May Day Court, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. 1940-1950 image. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. via https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:96377?query=Adele%20Stamp
May Day procession on McKeldin Mall, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. 1940-1950 image. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. via https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:96370?query=Adele%20Stamp
June Barnesly as the May Day Queen processing with two young boys carrying her train. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. 1936 image. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. via https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:3622?query=Adele%20Stamp
The May Queen makes her entrance to the University of Maryland May Day festivities from the Main Administration Building, followed by a procession of young children, May 10, 1960. College Park, Maryland. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age.https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:66609?query=Adele%20Stamp
Six women dressed as walruses during May Day celebrations at the University of Maryland. The May Day theme was “Characters of the Watery Wave.” College Park, Maryland. Image ca. 1929. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:89599?query=Adele%20Stamp
Cleopatra on a throne, University of Maryland Maye Daye, 1937. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:100746?query=Adele%20Stamp
A group of female students dressed as hillbillies and dancing on stage, University of Maryland Maye Daye, circa 1931-1940. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:100750?query=Adele%20Stamp
Dance of the Stars, University of Maryland May Day, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Image ca. 1923-1931. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:100716?query=Adele%20Stamp
Two women dressed in kimonos, University of Maryland Maye Daye, circa 1923-1930. College Park, Maryland. Photograph from a page of Adele H. Stamp’s May Day scrapbook. Adele H. Stamp Papers, University of Maryland Archives. Photograph itself in the public domain due to age. https://digital.lib.umd.edu/resultsnew/id/umd:100718?query=Adele%20Stamp

Published by sarahbguestperry

On a voyage to see how much mileage I can get from the creative ability and eye for images that my family thought was useless. On line art curator, fiction writer and now blogger. Historian's daughter. Follow me . . .even I have no idea where I'm going next.

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