Figure 2. — "Bathing Party, 1810." paintins by William P. Chappel 

 {CowtesY iij Museum of the City oj .\eic Viirh.) 



joying the water of undeveloped shores and there is 

 some evidence of women \enturing into the bays and 

 rivers (fig. 2). 



Xe\erlheless, few women ventured into the open 

 ocean during tlie early 19th century. They were 

 generally afraid to brave the force of the ocean waves 

 with only a female companion, since prevailing 

 attitudes regarding the proper behavior of a lady 

 prevented them from being accompanied by a man. 

 When a few ignored this dictate, their bold actions 

 gave rise to "ill-founded stories of want of delicacy on 

 the part of the females." '" An unbiased traveler, 

 who gave an account of this mixed bathing in 1833, 

 stated that parties always went into the water com- 

 pletely dressed and for that reason he could see no 

 great \iolation of modesty. Mixed bathing at the 



seashore (fig. 3) was gaining acceptance, however, 

 when it was reported only thirteen years later that 

 ''. . . ladies and gentlemen bathe in company, as is 

 the fashion all along the Atlantic Cbast. . . ." '' 



In place of the dressing rooms available in the float- 

 ing baths, special facilities were frequently pro\ided. 

 The bathing machine — in this case a device in which 

 one changed clothes — was used where there was a 

 gentle slope down to the water. This species of bath- 

 ing machine was a small wooden cabin set on very 

 high wheels with steps leading down from a door in 

 the front. The bather entered and, while he was 

 changing, the machine was pulled into the sea by a 

 horse. When water was well abo\e the axles the horse 

 was uncoupled and taken ashore. The bather was 

 then free to enter the sea by descending the steps 



''J. \V. and N. Orr, On's Bouk of Swimming (New York: 



" J.'^MES Stuart, Three Hears in .Ninlli Amrrua (Edinburgh: Burns and Bancr, IH46) as quoted in Thomas, op. cit. I footnote 



Robert Cadwell, 18.'^3), vol. 1. p. 441. 3), p. 270. 



8 



BULLETIN 250 : CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY .\ND TECHNOLOGY 



