1968
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office Washington, D.C. 20402--Price 50 cents (paper cover)
[Illustration: Figure 1.--BATHING COSTUME, from _The Delineator_, July
1884. (Smithsonian photo 58466.)]
_Claudia B. Kidwell_
_Women's Bathing and Swimming Costume in the United States_
_The evolution of the modern swim suit from an unflattering,
restrictive bathing dress into an attractive, functional costume
is traced from colonial times to the present. This evolution in
style reflects not only the increasing involvement of women in
aquatic activities but also the changing motivations for
feminine participation. The nature of the style changes in
aquatic dress were influenced by the fashions of the period,
while functional improvements were limited by prevailing
standards of modesty. This mutation of the bathing dress to the
swim suit demonstrates the changing attitudes and status of
women in the United States, from the traditional image of the
subordinate "weaker sex" to an equal and active member of the
society._
THE AUTHOR: _Claudia B. Kidwell is assistant curator of American
costume, department of civil history, in the Smithsonian
Institution's Museum of History and Technology._