These pictures show a selection of Southampton's carnival queens through the years.
The tradition of carnival queens dates back to the early 1900s when carnivals were first becoming popular in the United States.
The first carnival queen was crowned in 1907 at the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans.
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Since then, carnival queens have become a staple of carnival celebrations around the world.
Queens are often expected to be intelligent, and outgoing, and they are often seen as symbols of the carnival’s spirit of fun and celebration.
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