Women's Bathing and Swimming Costume in the United States

United States National Museum Bulletin 250 Contributions from The Museum of History and Technology Paper 64
WOMEN’S BATHING AND SWIMMING COSTUME IN THE UNITED STATES
Claudia B. Kidwell
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)


Figure 1.—Bathing costume, from The Delineator , July 1884. (Smithsonian photo 58466.)
Claudia B. Kidwell
The evolution of the modern swim suit from an unflattering, restrictive bathing dress into an attractive, functional costume is traced from colonial times to the present. This evolution in style reflects not only the increasing involvement of women in aquatic activities but also the changing motivations for feminine participation. The nature of the style changes in aquatic dress were influenced by the fashions of the period, while functional improvements were limited by prevailing standards of modesty. This mutation of the bathing dress to the swim suit demonstrates the changing attitudes and status of women in the United States, from the traditional image of the subordinate “weaker sex” to an equal and active member of the society.
The Author: Claudia B. Kidwell is assistant curator of American costume, department of civil history, in the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of History and Technology.