81 Little Chaplins

On November 5, 1921, in Bellingham, Washington, a group of 81 young boys gathered in front of the Liberty Theatre as part of a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest, a promotion for the venue’s feature at the time, The Idle Class. It’s become an iconic Northwest image…a wonderful picture that captures the spirit of small-town America and the impact of the Tramp character on period moviegoers.

A couple of years back I penned an article for Columbia magazine about how this photo came to be, along with detailing Charlie Chaplin’s other connections to Washington state. You can access that article at: https://www.washingtonhistory.org/…/37_03_FALL…