catalog in 1890. It is obxious I'roni this later catalog, 

 however, that there was a greater demand for bathing 

 dresses since twelve designs of the skirted costume 

 were featured as opposed to the two dresses in the 

 first issue. 



E\'en by the early 20th century it is diflirult to find 

 specific references to a swimming suit in women's 



Figure 14. — The recommendf.d costume for swim- 

 ming from J. Parmly Paret. The Woman's Book of 

 Sports, 1901. (Smithsonian photo 58436.) 



magazines; only occasionally docs a concern with 

 swimming obtrude into the traditional descriptions of 

 bathing dress. In The Woman's Book oj Sports, however, 

 J. Parmly Paret was specific about the requireinenis 



for a suitable swimming costume in 1901. 



It is particularly important that nothing tiijht should be 

 worn while swimming, no matter how fashionable a dress 

 may be for bathing. The exercise requires the greatest 

 freedom, and a swimming costume should never include 

 corsets, tight sleeves, or a skirt below the knees. The 

 freedom of the shoulders is the most important of all. but 

 anything tight around the body interferes with the 

 breathing and the muscles of the back, while a long skirt — 

 even one a few inches below the knees — binds the legs 

 constantly in making their strokes.-^- 



Although this costume (fig. 14) more closely resembles 

 the traditional bathing dress than the jersey described 

 prc\iously, this discussion illustrates the growing 

 dicholomx between bathing dress and swinnning dress 

 and between fashionable styles and fimctional styles. 



Photographs of East coast beach scenes in 1903 show 

 a few women wearing costumes different from the 

 black or na\y blue bathing dress worn by the majority. 

 These independent spirits seem to be wearing close- 

 fitting knitted trunks that cover the knees or, when 

 with stockings, come within an inch or two above the 

 knee. Above these trunks they appear to be wearing 

 knitted one-piece tunics or belted blouses that cover 

 the hips. This costume, sleeveless or short-sleeved, 

 and with a simplified neckline, must have been the 

 functional suit of its day. 



An important impetus was given to the development 

 of the swimming suit with the entrance of women into 

 swimming as a competitive sport. On September 5, 

 1909, Adeline Trapp wore a one-piece knitted swim- 

 ming suit when she became the first woman to swim 

 across the East River in New York, through the 

 treacherous waters of Hell Gate. Both the swimming 

 suit and the swim were part of a campaign devised by 

 Wilbert Longfellow- of the U.S. \olunteer Life 

 Saving Corps — to encourage women to learn to swim. 



Adeline Trapp was a summer employee of the Life 

 Saving Corps in 1909. Mr. Longfellow saw in the 

 20-year-old Brooklyn school teacher a respectable 

 young woman who could be a source of publicity. 

 He ordered her to gel a one-piece swimming suit 

 for the swim. As early as 1899 in England, a woman 



■i- J. P.-XRMLV P.\REr, The Woman's Book oJ' Sporh i .NVw York: 

 D. .\pplcton & Co.. 1901). p. 74. 



P.^PER 64: \VOMEn"s BATHING AND SWIMMING COSTl'MK IN THE UNITED ST.VTES 



25 



