Seven Up: 1920

Most of the bathing suits appear to be wool jersey knits, the most popular bathing suit material at the time. The two girls to the right, however, appear to be wearing home-made cotton shift bathing suits or beach dresses. The reflectivity and drape of the fabric suggests woven cotton sateen, an inexpensive fabric that was also sometimes used for beach garments, particularly by home seamstresses.

The girl 3rd from the left certainly looks familiar?

are sporting a thin, shiny material that looks like no bathing suit fabric that I have seen from the period - and they are a very different style from the others. Do you think they are bathing suits or some kind of beach sun dresses?

What is the guy doing on the right? Like other shorpyers (shorpytonians?) observed I can see scandal afoot with these loose women. Thank you for the daily glimpses into life during the past century, it is refreshing to add more perspective to our history as an industrial and technological society.

This is NSFW! Have these gals no shame? Missys baring skin like this are looking for a good time, a husband or poison ivy. No good will come of it.

These girls have pretty good teeth, for the most part, in an era during which orthadontics were the exception rather than the rule.

No Bernices here. Not even Miss Nips was daring enough to bob her hair.

Several of the gals have medallions around their necks. Any idea the purpose?

[Claim tags for the rented swimsuits. - Dave]

Bathing caps, wool suits and swimsocks. That's a look you really don't see much anymore.