History of the Bathing Suit

by
Joanne Haug

It was in the early 1800's that people began to flock 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 fashionable bathing suit.

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, 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 floating up and showing their legs. Modesty ruled over fashion.

REGENCY ERA:

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

A Fashionable Sea-Side Walking Dress
La Belle Assemblee Fashions for September 1810

"A gown of white French cambric, or pale pink muslin, with long sleeves, and antique cuffs of thin white muslin worn over trowsers of white French cambric, which are trimmed the same as the bottom of the dress. A figured short scarf of pale buff, with deep pale-green border, and rich silk tassels; with gloves of pale buff 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 figure. These garments were highlighted in Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1864. the long bloomers exhibit the influence of Amelia Bloomer’s innovative ideas for women’s clothing. The ”turkish” pants and “paletot” dresses are made from a heavy flannel fabric which would surely weigh down the swimmer.

Bathing Machines:

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 finished. 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 firm, white sand of the beach.

The bathing machine 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 flannel 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, puffed-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, 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.

1900:

By the end of the 19th century people were flocking to the oceanside beaches for popular seaside activities such as swimming, surf bathing, and diving. The clumsy Victorian-style bathing costumes were becoming burdensome. A need for a new costume that retained modesty but was free enough to allow the young lady to engage in swimming was obvious.

1910:

By 1910 bathing suits no longer camouflaged the contours of the female body. The yards of fabric used in Victorian bathing skirts and bloomers were reduced to show a little more of the figure and to allow for exposure to the sun.

1915:

Up until the first decades of the 20th century, the only activity for women in the ocean involved jumping through the waves while holding on to a rope attached to an off-shore bouy. By 1915, women athletes started to share the actual sport of swimming with men and thus began to reduce the amount of heavy fabric used in their billowing swimsuits.

1920s:

By the early 1920s women’s bathing suits were reduced to a one piece garment with a long top that covered shorts. Though matching stockings were still worn, swimwear began to shrink and more and more flesh was exposed from the bottom of the trunks to the tops of the stockings. By the mid-1920s Vogue magazine was telling its readers that “the newest thing for the sea is a jersey bathing suit as near a maillot as the unwritten law will permit.”

MORE INFO:

1900s Bathing Suits
Women typically dressed in black, knee-length, puffed-sleeve wool dresses, often featuring a sailor collar, and worn over bloomers or drawers trimmed with ribbons and bows.

1920s Vintage Swimsuits
Women’s 1920s vintage bathing suits came in several contrasting colors. Styles included two-piece swimsuits consisting of jersey shirts and flannel trousers.

The Bathing Machine
The etiquette of Victorian beaches and swimming.

Fancy Footwear for the Beach
The bathing costume was typically accessorized with long black stockings, lace-up bathing slippers, and fancy caps.

See the Jersey Shore in 1901
Fun look at “real” people from over a hundred years ago in their turn-of-the-century bathing suits and other summer clothing.