Swimsuits Of Yesteryear

 

This was an ad in The Spokesman Review from days long, long ago. If you cannot read it, here goes:

First Showing of Bathing Suits

Tomorrow we place on sale our new line of ladies' misses' and children's bathing suits. The line includes many new styles never shown before. Come in mohairs, brilliantines and the new jersey goods that is all the rage this season. Suits have the new collars and staple sailor collars and the new vestee effects. Come in tans, browns, red, black and blues, trimmed with braid. 

Prices for ladies' suits.... $6.60 to $2.75

Misses' and children's.......... $4.00 to $2.50

Children's One Piece Suits..... All sizes from 2 to 6, in blue, at.... $1.50

Bathing caps... $1.00 to 25cents

Bathing shoes.... 50 cents

Aren't you shaking your head and saying good grief?? Can you imagine "bathing"...... which really meant wading in perhaps to your waist, never jumping in....... wearing a woolen dress and SHOES? And of course black stockings, heaven forbid bare legs would be viewed. Did you catch that they're not called "swimming suits?" 

This is a photo of my great-grandmother, Viola Belle Evans Gurney, 1872-1962, and was labeled "her school outing." She's the fourth from left, dark hair with braid-bun. 

No wonder they didn't jump in and swim around! They'd surly have drowned in those heavy "bathing suits."