L'eggs Mini Marathon
Tod Papageorge, American, born 1940
1979
Gelatin silver print
Image: 12 1/4 × 18 11/16 in. (31.1 × 47.5 cm)
Image: 12 5/16 × 18 11/16 in. (31.2 × 47.5 cm)
Sheet: 15 7/8 × 20 in. (40.3 × 50.8 cm)
Sheet: 15 7/8 × 19 15/16 in. (40.4 × 50.7 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Elaine and Gerald D. Levine, Tuck Class of 1963
PH.997.54.5
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
20th century
Object Name
Photograph
Research Area
Photograph
On view
Inscriptions
Signed, on reverse, in graphite, lower center: tod Papageorge
Label
L’eggs Mini Marathon was originally created as a marketing tool for women’s shaving cream before L’eggs pantyhose took over the title sponsorship. The women-only 10K race began in 1972 in the wake of relaxed rules by the American Athletic Union that allowed women to compete in road races. Beginning as a stand-alone race, it grew into a highly competitive circuit of races, including qualifiers. In this image, Papageorge—an acclaimed documentary photographer—captures the race’s advanced level of competitiveness and athletic focus as each woman grabs a drink from the fueling station. The organized chaos and competition of all these sweaty runners vying for the best time defies female gender stereotypes of what it means to be “ladylike.” Instead, this image champions women’s competitiveness and physical ability—traits more commonly gendered as masculine.
From the 2025 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 123, Elegantly Violent: Exploring Masculinity and Gender Expectations within Women’s Sports, curated by Josephine (Josie) Harrison ’25, Mellon Special Project Intern
Exhibition History
A Space for Dialogue 123, Elegantly Violent: Exploring Masculinity and Gender Expectations within Women’s Sports, Josephine (Josie) Harrison ’25, Mellon Special Project Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 5 - May 25, 2025
Constructing Gender: Works from the Hood Museum of Art's Collection, 1500 to the Present, Harrington Gallery Teaching Exhibition, ARTH 2, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 28-April 22, 2012.
Signspotting: Twentieth-Century Photographs, Prints, and Paintings from the Collection, Harrington Gallery Teaching Exhibition, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 30-August 26, 2001.
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