Figure 1.--This unidntified photograph shows a family waing on a beach. We are not sure just where, but the family has a French look to us. Notice the children wear protective bib-front shorts over their clothes. They may have been rubberized. A reader writes, "I can hear mum say, " We are going to aunty's after the beach. You can go for a paddle but you must wear the beach protecttors so you don't get messed up. Don't you dare throw wet sand at each other either!. Father roll up your trousers!"

This unidntified photograph shows a family waing on a beach. We are not sure just where, but the family has a French look to us. The photographb is also undated, but we would guess was taken in the lare-1900 or early-10s. Notice the children wear protective bib-front shorts over their clothes. They may have been rubberized. A reader writes, "I can hear mum say, " We are going to aunty's after the beach. You can go for a paddle but you must wear the beach protecttors so you don't get messed up. Don't you dare throw wet sand at each other either!. Father roll up your trousers!" Another reader writes, "I also thought they looked French. I also thought the outfits the children where have elastic bottoms which would make sense if they were rubber." We are not sure about the elastic. The boy looks to me like he has straight leg pants. The girl looks like they may be elasticized, but perhaps that is just because her dress is all stuffed in there. I think elasticized romper came after the War, but I am not at all positive. A reader thinks this might not be a French image and may havce been takjen in the 1920s rather thant the 10s. He writes, "Notice that Daddy is wearing long underwear which he has rolled up like his trousers--probably the common type of men's underwear during the 1920s when I image this photo was taken. The children were probably wearing black long stockings and perhaps also high-top shoes which they have obviously removed for getting their feet wet at the beach. I think this photo could easily have been taken in the Baltic area--perhaps Germany around one of the Hanseatic towns such as Lubeck."

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Created: 10:18 AM 4/8/2012
Last updated: 5:59 AM 4/9/2012