1890s bathing suits

1890s bathing suits

1800s

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.