We’re well into the time of year that students everywhere look forward to throughout their days at school – summer vacation! The end of the school year means celebrations, like class parties and graduations. Of course, one of the best-known end-of-year celebrations also characterizes the American high school experience. It’s the prom! We hope you enjoy these photos from Philadelphia’s best prom photographer, J & J Studios.

A Brief History of the Prom

“Prom” isn’t the original name for this iconic end-of-year dance. The term “prom” comes from the word “promenade.” However, the original term for this celebration was even longer: “promenade dance.”

It’s likely that the tradition of proms began at colleges, not high schools. Documentation of these dances date as far back as the late nineteenth century. Often, women’s colleges hosted proms, and their students invited local male-only university students to attend them. Accounts of proms exist in many forms, such as invitations and written personal accounts. For example, around this time, a college student’s personal journal mentions his attending a prom a local women’s college hosted. A student at the women’s college had invited him. He’d also mentioned the invitation in his journal in an earlier entry.

Originally, proms served a similar function as debutante balls. Proms were an opportunity to present young women to the adult world, specifically as ready for marriage. These dances were much more accessible for middle-class students than upper-class debutante balls.

When the U.S. experienced an economic boom in the 1950s, proms became much more elaborate and extravagant. Gone were the senior banquets of the 1920s and 1930s, where students wore their Sunday best. In their place came large parties that looked much more like the proms of today. The change in prom locations is an easily observable indication of this shift. Rather than school gyms, proms began to take place in locations like hotel ballrooms and country clubs.

Philadelphia’s Best Prom Attire Photographer

The lovely subject of these prom photos is Euphoria. She chose a prom look just as beautiful and unique as both she and her name are!

Euphoria wore an ice blue satin gown with a mermaid silhouette. Intricate beading, beginning at the top of her gown’s gently flared skirt, extended up to her collarbones. Atop the bodice, an illusion neckline held two large, rhinestone-encrusted designs shaped like leaves or feathers in place. 

Euphoria’s Prom Makeup

Euphoria’s prom makeup was so fun! She used makeup to make her gorgeous eyes the primary focus of her makeup look. A pair of lush false eyelashes and black eyeliner in her waterline drew attention to her alluring eyes.

However, Euphoria also took the opportunity to have fun with her makeup! She applied small gems above her eyes, which followed her eyes’ natural shape. This further accentuated her lovely eyes. Her other makeup, done in more a natural color and style, provided the perfect balance to her glam eye makeup. It also allowed her eye makeup to take center stage, and Euphoria’s natural beauty to shine through!

Contact J & J Studios Today!

We hope you enjoyed Euphoria’s Philadelphia prom photos! J & J Studios is available to document any and all of your celebrations. We’d love to hear from you – you can contact us using this link. Congratulations, Euphoria – enjoy your summer!