Convention Costuming History: 1939 - How It Started
There had been three other Science Fiction conventions in different cities prior to 1939 when two well-known young fans from Los Angeles decided they wanted to wear costumes to the first Worldcon in New York City. Forrest J Ackerman had asked Myrtle Douglas to create his costume based on designs from his favorite film, “Things to Come” and pulp SF magazine cover art of the time. Myrtle crafted his costume according to his input and also designed and made her own.
Among the 200 or so attendees from across the country, it hadn’t occurred to anyone else to get dressed up in anything but trousers and jackets. They were quite the sensation that Friday morning as they came face to face with fellow fans they had previously only known by name. Emboldened by their reactions, the shy Esperanto enthusiast made a side trip to a certain exposition that happened to be taking place in New York at the same time.
In a recollection by Ackerman years later, he wrote: Many people have asked me over the years, "Forry, where did you get the nerve to wear that futuristic costume on the streets of New York?" But I think it was sort of like being mild-mannered Clark Kent, going into the telephone booth and coming out as Superman. When I wore that outfit in public, little children were running in the streets of New York crying, "It's Flash Gordon! It's Buck Rogers!" I even got the nerve to go out to the Worlds Fair in it; they had a platform with a microphone, and if you were from Spain, or from Sweden or France or Germany or wherever, you could come up and greet the world in your native language. So I got this quixotic notion to go up and speak in Esperanto to the world, and say that I was a time traveler from the future, where we all spoke this language.(1)
After the convention, Ackerman arranged to have their photos taken by fellow fan Charles Hornig. He had a number of prints made and handed them out to friends. The two known images mainly differ in showing the two versions of Myrtle’s costume outfit.
As the originators of a new hobby closely associated with many of the science fiction and fantasy conventions in the years that followed, they are considered the Father and Mother of Convention Costuming, as recognized by the International Costumers' Guild.(2) They wore their “futuristicostumes” (as he called them) the following year at the first-ever costume party held at a Worldcon (Chicon).
(1) Mimosa #16, pages 4-6, “Through Time and Space With Ackerman (Part 1) http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m16/ackerman.htm
(2) Ackerman was presented with his award in 1994 at the 52nd Worldcon In Winnipeg, Canada and Douglas was recognized posthumously in 2016. https://costume.org/wp/special-awards-recognition/
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