The Evolution of Women's Swimwear (1880-1940)

Mid-1800s Swimwear

Swimming attire, specifically for women, had changed drastically between the late 1800s to early 1900s. Prior to the mid 1800s most people typically would be naked when they decided to go to the beach. But as time went on, going to the beach and swimming became more of a recreational activity. As time went on and society changed we see a significant change. With society insisting that women cover up and be respectable, we see the beginning of women’s swimwear consisting of multiple pieces of clothing. Early swimwear for women had a large dress-like top made of thick flannel that puffed out around the waist and arms. Along with the dress there were matching pants made of the same material and even shoes in some cases. Since swimming was seen as a sport that women did not participate in, there was no need to use lighter materials since the women would surely not be swimming but merely just frolicking and enjoying the water. Women’s swimming did not even become a sport in the Olympics until 1912. The main idea behind these early swim suits was to hide the female body and show no curves or contour. Here we have an idea of what women wore in the mid-late 1800s to go swimming. We can see here that women’s swimwear at this time looked more like dresses or gowns more than something you would wear in the water. These women are dressed head-to-toe showing very little skin. This outfit showcases the long extravagant dress and the trousers they wore underneath the dress. They also have swimming shoes and even hats. The hats are very small and seem to serve no purpose except as a decoration piece. In the background we see what appear to be houses but may be what they called Bathing machines.

Bathing Machines in the late 1800s

In this photo we see multiple bathing machines being placed in the shallow water of a beach. Bathing machines were wooden carts that were used to allow people, particular women, to swim and spend time in the water in complete privacy. People would enter the bathing machines while they were still on the beach and change from their street clothes and put on their bathing suits. They would then place their street clothes in compartment to keep them dry. Then the wooden carts would be pushed into the water so the patron could then begin their leisurely day at the beach. In most cases these heavy carts would be slid into the ocean by a horse or multiple horses. But In some cases their would be steam-engines and tracks that would slide them into the water in some of the more luxurious cases, but in some cases they would even be pushed by man-power.

1890s Bathing Suits

At the end of the 1800s we begin to see more time being spent at the beach by the everyday person. This meant more time for men and women to be exposed to each other in their bathing suits outside of their bathing machines. So we see that the dresses are still very modest but slightly less elegant. This dress here seems to serve the purpose of covering up the body but now they are less about the “look” and more about making sure the women are not exposed. We do see a bit more skin than the rest of the 1800s swimwear but they still have the dress and pants underneath. They ditched the shoes and fancy hats and now are barefoot. The hats seem a bit more practical in this photo. They have a much rounder and extended brim, which can now shelter the eyes from the sun, similar to sun hats that women wear to the beach now. 

Bessie Morriss and Dolly Scofield at the beach

This photo is of Bessie Morriss and Dolly Scofield enjoying a day at the beach. There is writing on the back of the photograph that says "Grandmother Morris and friend. (Dolly Scofield) NY." Bessie Morriss was born around 1887 and lived in Ho-Ho-Kus. She worked as an assistant railroad agent, and had two children, Henrietta and Charles. The swimwear they are wearing is black and covers the entire body from the chest to the knees, and the tops are connected to the bottoms. The outfits also consist of tall socks and caps. The collars of the swimsuits are white with black stripes. But we can see that gradually swimwear is beginning to show more skin since we can now see the women’s arms and shoulders. Compared to the swimwear of the early 1900s, this photo, from 1910, shows that the dresses have become a fraction more form fitting. They do not puff out like the last picture. They also are cut a bit higher up; the previous dresses go down to around 2 inches under the knee while these pants end right at the knee or slightly above. The headwear is the most important distinction that is shown here. Previous 1910, women wore the hats like shown in the previous pictures for decoration. These hats were not meant to be submerged or to even get wet. In the first image we even see the women have their hair styled, which indicated that they had no intention of getting their heads near the water. But now in this photo we see the women wearing what seems to be almost a swim cap. The cap completely covers the hair of both women. This shows that these women have intensions of getting their hair wet. It is very possible that these women may have even been swimming. The Olympics included women’s swimming only 2 short years after the photo was taken so it is very understandable to assume that these women may have been swimmers. Featured on both of the women’s swimwear proudly displayed on the center of their chest is a logo or monogram of some type. Some would guess that it could be their initials but they do not share the same letters of their first or last names so this could not be the case. It could have also been a family crest or something of that nature, but these women are not related. So it is within a good reason to guess that these markings on their swimsuits could have been a team name or logo. They could have even been on a school swim team and those were the uniforms with the schools initials on them.

Couple in Swimwear (1920s)

Swimwear being measured

The next photo is a black and white, candid photo of a couple in swimwear. They are standing in front of a 1920s-era car with trees around. The woman is fixing the man's hair, combing it back. The man is holding a lit cigarette. The man is wearing a black bathing suit, consisting of a long tank top and sorts. This was typical men’s swimwear at the time and a tank top and shorts are still very relevant when looking at men’s swimwear in today’s society.  Now when looking at the women we see a huge change. In this photo the top looks like a tank top and the bottom like shorts that end far above the knee. There is a light-colored belt loosely around her waist. She has short, wet hair Between the 1880s to 1910 we see a lot of changes but between 1910 and 1920 there is a much more drastic jump in a relatively small amount of time. The woman's bathing suit is a black one-piece. This is very revolutionary jump in women’s swimwear history. Throughout the 1800s all the way to 1910 we see swimsuits consisting of multiple pieces and thick fabric. But now we see the woman only wearing one article of clothing to the beach. No trousers, no fancy hats, no swim shoes, just one singular bathing suit. Women in the United States gained the right to vote in 1920. This new achievement had women feeling more empowered than ever. Feminism was on the rise and women began to take control of how they portray their own bodies. This is evident in this huge change in their swimwear. As people became less conservative and more open to embracing the female body we see shorter swimsuits and eventually we get what we see in the picture here, a one-piece bathing suit that shows a lot of flesh. But society still had its ideas about what is to much skin to show. At this time there were still many cities and states that had laws that claimed that swimwear could not be more than 6 inches higher than the knee. In the second picture you can see a city beach sensor actually using measuring tape to make sure the woman was not breaking the law. The material is also a lot thinner and capable of getting wet without soaking up all the water and becoming to heavy to effectively move around in the water. This is after the 1912 Olympics so by this time the world had become a bit more accustomed to understanding women and the idea of them competing in swimming. So as women become more accepted in this sport, the social norms that kept them all covered up began to relax a lot by this time. People understood that if a woman was going to compete in the Olympics she needed to train. And you cannot expect someone to train and succeed in a sport if they are forced to wear tons of layers of thick clothing that allow limited mobility and added weight.

The 1930s ushered in a wave of confidence never before seen in women’s swimwear. As public pools opened and swimming became even more accessible than having to drive to the beach, more women participated in swimming and now they wanted to look good doing so. Looking in shape and sexy was the new thing and we see women now wearing completely shape-revealing swimwear that even started to feature open backs to show even more skin. They were no longer censored so we see the bottoms getting higher. The swimwear was now being made of Lastex, which was invited in 1931. Lastex took yard and covered it in rubber, which meant that they could now wear these bathing suits that were nice and tight to show off their figure. 

Worlds First photographed Bikini

This all leads up to 1946 when we see the first bikini in a photograph; French engineer introduced it in Paris Louis Réard and fashion designer Jacques Heim. While it still may have been a bit scandalous and forward, it just goes to show how drastically women’s swimwear had become. The fact that someone could have an idea to create such a article of clothing for women to be seen in public that leaves such little to the imagination shows the difference In thinking from only 20-30 years before that.  Between 1880-1940s women’s swimwear, and clothing in general, evolves in pace with society. As the world changes for women so does the way they dress. These women in Mahwah stayed up to date with the trends in fashion and these photos that we have give us a great peak into women’s clothing at this very interesting time for women in American history.