Figure 1.--Here we see three unidentified English sisters preparing to build a sand castle in 1909. Notice their wide-brimmed hats, heavy tops, and bloomer pants. The girls look to be about 5-10 years old. Teenagers probably would have worn long worn long stockings.

We begin to seaside and beach outfits (late-19th century). Britain is an island and this the British either live along the coast or are very close to the sea. And the railroads mean by the late19th century there was easy and inexpensive access to he sea. With the growth of industry and the cities, there was an increasing desire to get to beaches for at least a short interlude of fresh, bracing seaside air and salt water. For children the attraction was mostly paddling in he shallows and playing on the beach. Building sand castles was specially apparent. Beachwear for boys and men was rather straight forward and simple, a basic top and shortened pants. For women and girls it was more complicated. There had to be more top coverage, even for girls. And short pants were more of an issue. Clarly outfits that basically made swimming imopossible. Thus we see bloomers for girls. Women often had to wear long dresses. We also see long stockings, although younger girls might be allowed bare legs. All this did not begin to change until after World War I in the 1920s.

Created: 1:54 PM 10/24/2024
Last updated: 1:54 PM 10/24/2024