Please see Transcriber's Notes at the end of this document.
United States National Museum Bulletin 250
Contributions from
The Museum of History and Technology
Paper 64
WOMEN’S BATHING AND SWIMMING COSTUMEIN THE UNITED STATES
Claudia B. Kidwell
| INTRODUCTION | 3 |
| CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT | 6 |
| BATHING COSTUME | 14 |
| SWIMMING COSTUME | 24 |
| CONCLUSIONS | 32 |
Smithsonian Institution Press
City of Washington
1968
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402—Price 50 cents (paper cover)
Claudia B. Kidwell
Women’s Bathing and Swimming Costumein the United States
The evolution of the modern swim suit from an unflattering,restrictive bathing dress into an attractive, functional costume istraced from colonial times to the present. This evolution in stylereflects not only the increasing involvement of women in aquaticactivities but also the changing motivations for feminine participation.The nature of the style changes in aquatic dresswere influenced by the fashions of the period, while functionalimprovements were limited by prevailing standards of modesty.This mutation of the bathing dress to the swim suit demonstratesthe changing attitudes and status of women in the United States,from the traditional image of the subordinate “weaker sex” toan equal and active member of the society.
The Author: Claudia B. Kidwell is assistant curatorof American costume, department of civil history, in the SmithsonianInstitution’s Museum of History and Technology.
Introduction
Women’s bathing dress holds a unique place inthe history of American costume. This specializedgarb predates the age of sports costume whicharrived during the last half of the 19th century.Although bathing dress shares this distinction withriding costume, the aquatic garb was merely utilitarianin the late 18th century while riding costume hada fashionable role