This Is What Republican Ladies Were Doing In 1941. Conservative Heads Explode In 3…2…1…


The ladies of the Young Women’s Republican club in Miflord, Connecticut, certainly knew how to party in 1941! Their “smoko,” captured for posterity by photographer Nina Lee from Time magazine, would make heads turn even today.

Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives

According to the article in Time, over the course of the evening the ladies of Milford experienced such pleasures as poker, strip tease and tobacco smoking.

Bear in mind that these enjoyments were usually reserved for men only in 1941 so the women’s smoko night was quite a liberating event. On the night of May 20 that the ladies decided to challenge gender roles by hosting their own women-only smoko, much to the consternation of their menfolk.

Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives

By the end of the night the ladies had consumed 30 cigars, 48 pipes of tobacco and 20 cartons of cigarettes. The night’s entertainment, which also included a wrestling match and musical performances, was such a hit that the entire program was run through twice.

Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives

0Photos from the night show the women smoking with gusto as they play cards, drink and watch performances ranging from slapstick to a little risqué! By the end of the night the floor was littered with butts and more than a few women would have woken with sore heads the next day.

Given what we now know about tobacco today, it’s doubtful that any group of women would smoke with such abandon, but in 1941, the smoko night provided an outlet for women to express themselves and escape the rigid gender role conformism of their everyday lives. The smoko was an expression of women’s growing power and desire to be treated as equals, and based on Nina Lee’s wonderful photos of the event, it sure looked like a lot of fun!

Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives




Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives
Nine Leen via LIFE Archives

Image via: MesseyNessyChic