It is interesting to see all the women have their hair pinned up. That makes plenty of sense on a wind swept beach but was that also the style of the day -- to have their tresses pinned up?

[This was the heyday of the Gibson Girl pompadour. - Dave]

The most common colors for ladies swim attire at this time was navy, followed by black. The suits were generally made of wool serge. Trimmings might be wool or silk. The New York Times published several nice articles on trends in ladies' swimwear about this time.

About the men's attire I know almost nothing. Gotta love the strength of character to wear those wide stripes though!

Get a load of those crazy hats! Obviously one of the various beach salesmen was peddling them since there seem to be quite a few of them about.

Nothing beats spending the day at a nice, secluded beach.

There's Waldo! No wait. There's Waldo, or is he over there!

in all the scene, there must be a total of at least two square feet of exposed skin, have they no pride.

Everyone in this picture is now dead.

We all have our day in the sun. Enjoy every day, and make someone around you happy. Life goes by pretty quickly.

Also, there looks like another group to the left lining up for an unseen photographer.

Hell with the ass, get a load of the gunboats in the distance!

Oh you big bad brute!

Who brings a donkey to a beach? Even in 1904!

[Roving portrait photographers and other beach concessionaires. - Dave]

Life is a beach?

["Get a load of the girl on that ass!" - Dave]

That no one has made a Jersey Shore joke? That no one has wondered aloud at the whereabouts of the photo being taken within this photo?

On another topic, does anyone have any idea of the colors we would be seeing in real life? It looks like everyone was wearing black, but I suppose red could appear black in a photo with no color.

The sea breeze is 15-20 from the SE, just as it was when I spent the first 12 Julys of my life on the Jersey Shore (except 1960). You can tell by the whitecaps, and also the trim of the sails of the gaff sloop running north with a fair wind on the starboard quarter. Can't quite make out the insignia on the mainsail.

We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song,
like the seasons, all have gone.

There Dave, I said it.

That no one has said it yet.

I hope you sought out and received written permission to publish a high definition image of these sunbathers in such risqué attire. You know how people can get when we focus in on their partially exposed arms. Is that Tim Tebow on the far right?

Today that would at least get you a ticket or worse. My dog loves the beach but I can only take him there off season and during certain hours. What's with the three ladies as well, slightly above and to the left of the photographer. All dressed in white and the one in the middle has her sunglasses on.

I think the beach in 1905 was the same as today. I'd really like to go back and mingle with that crowd.