I'm sure you'd rather look at inane pictures than read my poetic, thoughtful prose - - - so I lifted this post from my old blog Cabinet of Curious Treasures. That blog still exists, but I closed it from the public because it was too much trouble to maintain. Jon
Summer is here! Time to don your bathing costumes and head for the shore. Don't forget to wear your bloomers.
Unfortunately, I don't know the sources of most these photos, but I've managed to identify a few.
The perfect attire to wear on a hot, sticky, humid day at the beach.
Brighton Swimming Club, 1863
circa 1910
No information on this, but the lady looks too lovely to be wading.
Coney Island, date unknown
1890's
Probably European, not exactly flattering attire. I've noticed that the European men had more revealing swimsuits at an earlier time than the Americans did. Most American men didn't go "topless" until the late 1920's....or early'30's.
American beachcombers, 1910
Bathing Suit Contest Winners
Okay, I'm going to be vicious and brutal -
if these are the winners, I'd hate to see the losers.
Bathing Suit Contest Winners
Okay, I'm going to be vicious and brutal -
if these are the winners, I'd hate to see the losers.
An impromptu Isadora Duncan imitation
on a California beach
A gay time at the seaside
Horseplay
Asbury Park, New Jersey
The title of this photo is Bathing Machine Grande, but it looks like portable changing booths at high tide to me. I doubt if it's American.
Is that the Washington Monument looming in the background?
Is it just my warped imagination, or does the guy with his hands on his hips (third from right) look like he's posing in drag?
Just to remind you that summer is the preferable time of year.
What a fun and true look back at how people enjoyed time at the beach. The contrast between the amount of clothes women wore years ago compared to now is really a big difference. And, the early ones worn by early men were just fun to see.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been miserable for people to visit the seashore long ago. How on earth did the women wash those long, heavy skirts? I heard that the bathing suits were made of wool - which was undoubtedly torture!
DeleteWOW! These photos brought back memories of my nana's (grandmother) old black and white polaroid's from her youth. I still have them in a box to this day.
ReplyDeleteYou're so fortunate to have your grandmother's old photos - I'm sure they are treasures. I lost so many of my old family photos when I moved from TX to TN - it upsets me to even think about it.
Delete... and looking back on her old photos, it is amazing how everything has changed - the "swimming suits" for example! LOL!
ReplyDeleteMany of those old swimming suits look so uncomfortable. The ones from the early 1900s really look like torture. It must have been hell to wear them.
ReplyDeleteCool pictures Jon. Gives me Downton Abby vibes.
ReplyDeleteThe people generally had class and dignity during the Downton Abby era. In contrast, everything nowadays seems like trash. I'm a romantic at heart.....
DeleteGood golly Miz Mollye! I love those dresses shown in #1, but it begs the question -- did women not perspire in those days? Some of these bathing 'costumes' look better than what I've seen lately; surely I was born in the wrong decade.
ReplyDeleteIn that first photo I was wondering if the woman with the umbrella was wearing a corset. She had a small waist. Did deodorants exist back then? They might have used something (??) to staunch the perspiration. If not, there must have been a surplus of smelly people.....
DeleteThose are interesting, and kind of funny.
ReplyDeleteOld photographs really fascinate me - - they say so much. Some of those old bathing suits are funny!
DeleteGoodness! The ladies have to wear head to toe coverage while the guys suits leave very little to the imagination. ( Lots of dangling fruit... if you know what I mean.) I guess the ladies imagination could figure things out by the fir of the suit.
ReplyDeleteI just accidentally deleted my reply to your comment.
DeleteIt seems like there were numerous laws about what ladies could wear and none for the men. Strange and biased. I was surprised to see a lot of dangling fruit in the 1863 Brighton Swimming Club photo.
Brighton Swim Club?!?!?!? Some of those suits look like diapers!
ReplyDeleteBut what's not to love about a woman wearing a huge wide brim in the ocean?!?! A gal after my own heart.
I agree that the Brighton dudes look like they're wearing diapers. I have mixed feelings about the whimsical top hats. The woman in the ocean with the wide brim hat is my favorite of the photos.
DeleteHow times have changed! Imagine what they would think of the styles people wear now! :) Yes, that one guy looks like he's in a woman's bathing suit--but then what do I know of the fashions back then--LOL!
ReplyDeleteIt's really amazing how the styles and attitudes have changed from the long-ago days. It must have been extremely difficult to wash and maintain those clothes - - especially the women's dresses.
Delete