File:Bulletin - United States National Museum (1969) (20508104355).jpg

Title: Bulletin - United States National Museum
Identifier: bulletinunitedst2501969unit (find matches)
Year: 1877 (1870s)
Authors: United States National Museum; Smithsonian Institution; United States. Dept. of the Interior
Subjects: Science
Publisher: Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press, (etc. ); for sale by the Supt. of Docs. , U. S. Govt Print. Off.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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Figure 12.—Bathing costumes from a supplement to 1 he Jailor's Rei'ieiv, July 1895. (Courtesy of Library of Congress.) tended to negate this improvement. E\en as early as the 1870s there were efforts to shorten slee\es and eliminate high necklines. This trend to make bathing dress more practical increased in nionientuni toward the end of the century. PRINCESS STYLE BATHING DRESS Although attitudes toward sports were more en- lightened by the 1880s, many women continued to wear the old bathing dress with its belted blouse extending to a long skirt and a pair of trousers. As an alternate to this garb, the "princess style"" was dc\el- oped with the blou.se and trousers ciu in one piece or else sewn permanently to the same belt. A separate skirt extending below the knee was buttoned at the waist to conceal the figure. This new style in bathing costume was probably derived from an inno\ation in women's tmderwear. During the late 1870s a new style of imdergarment, the "combination"" of chemise and drawers, had come into use. Petticoats could !x- fastened to buttons sewn around the waist of the combination. This streamlining of undergarments helped the lady of fashion to maintain a desirably svelte figure. Apparently the advantages of this streamlining were obxious, because it was not long before women were quietly adapting this stj'le to bathing dresses. By the 1890s the skirt was often omitted for swimming (fig. 12), giving the more acii\c women more freedom in the water. Following popular dress styles, the top of the bathing costume was bloused over the belt. The sailor collar, either large or small, was a great favorite, but a straight standing collar with rows of white braid was also worn. The "princess style" was not the only innovation axailable in bathing dress. Harper's Bazar reported in 1881 that imported French bathing suits " for ladies " The tcnn "bathing suit" as opposed to "bathing dress" came into u.se in the last quarter of the 19lh ccnturv when the bifurcated bathing garment with a shorter skirt was widely accepted. The two terms, however, coniinuet! uj be used inter- changeably, with "bathing dress" appearing I,.>s h>-qucn;I\'. p.APER 64: women's bathing and swimming costume in the united ST.a.TES 21

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