It's interesting to see most of the women wearing white (or some other color than black) dresses. So many of Shorpy beach scenes have all the women wearing black or dark colored dresses. I guess they were taken in the off season.

I understand it was the fashion of the time, but I can't imagine those dark, woolen swimming costumes were very comfortable once they got wet and full of sand. They must have weighed a ton. Not to mention, you'd find yourself bringing home half the beach once you shook it out after it dried. It must have been every Victorian housewife's dream to have half of Lake Erie's shores in her front parlor.

For the story on how things turned out: A Highway Runs Through It