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History of Bathing Suits

1 Thong Swimwear 3 One Piece

2 Man Bathing Suit 4 Bathing Suits for

Bat hi ng i s a sport
Enj oyed by great and ssm mal l
I n sui t s of any sort
Though bet t er none at al l .
[ Ano ny mo us , 1 9 t h- c e n
nttury poem]

It was in the early 1800's that people

began to �ock to the beaches for
seaside amusement. With the
introduction of railroads, ocean-side
beaches became even more popular
for sunny recreations. Along with this
new outdoor pastime came the need
for a stylish garment for the privileged
lady of fashion. Here we will follow the
path of the history of swimwear,
which began long before the modern
day bikini.
 18th Century:
Although sea bathing was
fashionable in the 18th century, it
was considered proper to keep the
skin white and untouched by the
sun. This 1797 Gallery of Fashion
print shows two ladies protected
by face-shading bonnets, shawls
and gloves as they approach a
group of bathing machines
(http://www.victoriana.com
/Etiquette/bathingmachine.htm), a
sort of cabana on wheels. Ladies
were known to sew weights into the hem of their smock-like bathing gowns
to prevent the garment from �oating up and showing their legs. Modesty
ruled over fashion.

Regency Era:
The early 1800s marked the beginning of a revolution
in swimwear when women �ocked to the beaches for
seaside recreation. An 1810 fashion magazine
describes the proper attire:

Fashi onabl e Sea- Si de W Waal ki ng Dress - La Bel l e

As s e mbl e e F a s hi o ns , S e pt 1 8 1 0
"A gown of white French cambric, or pale pink muslin,
with long sleeves, and antique cu�s of thin white
muslin worn over trowsers of white French cambric,
which are trimmed the same as the bottom of the
dress. A �gured short scarf of pale bu�, with deep
pale-green border, and rich silk tassels; with gloves of
pale bu� kid; and sandals of pale yellow, or white
Morocco, complete this truly simple but becoming
dress."
 Mid-19th Century:
In the mid-19th century bathing
dresses covered most of the
female �gure. These garments
were highlighted in Godey’s
Lady’s Book in 1864. the long
bloomers exhibit the in�uence of
Amelia Bloomer’s innovative ideas
for women’s clothing. The
”turkish” pants and “paletot”
dresses are made from a heavy
�annel fabric which would surely
weigh down the swimmer.

Bathing Machine:
At ocean resorts where the water was
very shallow near the beach, people
undressed in little houses on wheels,
which were drawn out into deep water
by horses and hauled back to the shore
when the bath was �nished. At the larger
resorts hundreds of these carts were
seen in the water at a time. The broad
wheels hardly made an impression on
the �rm, white sand of the beach.

The bathing machine

(http://www.victoriana.com/Etiquette
/bathingmachine.htm) allowed a modest
Victorian woman to spend the day at the
beach in complete privacy. After the
horse would haul the cabana into the
ocean, the 19th century woman would change from her layers of petticoats
and dress into another layer of swimwear. Later a hood was added to the
contraption to allow the female in a soaking wet �annel dress to emerge
from the water unseen.
1890s:
This group of young ladies above is enjoying a sunbath, dressed in the
latest 1890s swimwear. Women typically dressed in black, knee-length,
pu�ed-sleeve wool dresses, often featuring a sailor collar, and worn over
bloomers or drawers trimmed with ribbons and bows. The bathing
costume was typically accessorized with long black stockings, fancy lace-up
bathing slippers, and fancy caps. Note the dotted stockings and wired sun
hat worn by the young swimmer to the front of the photograph.

Fancy Beach Shoes

In the late 1800s and early 1900s,
bathing suits
(http://www.victoriana.com
/swimsuit/bathingsuits.htm) were
typically accessorized with long
black stockings, lace-up bathing
slippers, and fancy caps. Bathing
slippers were very necessary,
especially on stony beaches to
protect from broken glass, oyster
shells and pebbles that could cut
or bruise the feet. These beach
shoes were made of soles of
twisted straw or felt with
embroidered serge or crash tops
and laces. They were often
available at seaside places. To make a fashion statement, the wearer would
add some embellishment such as a piece of scarlet braid turned into
rosettes or bows. Ribbon was also added to felt shoes and crossed over the
foot and ankle, then tied above it in a bow with short ends. The bathing
shoes shown to the left are tied up with pink laces. Below are 1870s
bathing slippers (shown right) made of white canvas trimmed with red
braiding and bathing shoes (shown left) made of Turkish toweling bound
with blue braid.
 1 Thong Swimsuit 3 One Piece

2 Man Bathing Suit 4 Bathing Suits for

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