Swimsuit Collection (#25)

Aladdin, St Julians Hall, Guernsey, Channel Islands, 23 January 19?? Two nights only. The small venue could probably not afford to reproduce the poster in colour. circa 1910s

Malo-les-Bains, France - bathers
A man in a bathing suit stands in the surf of the Malo-les-Bains beach, near Dunkirk (Dunkerque) in France. Behind him are other bathers as well as various boats. circa 1910s

Young woman and sailor on a German postcard
A young woman in a swimsuit is carried by a sailor on a German postcard (the caption reads: A sweet burden). The two holes are designed for someone to put their fingers through

Jantzen swimwear
Jantzen swimming costumes made from Lastex yarn, modelled by a relaxed group of bright young things. Available from Jaeger. Date: 1934

Bathing fashions from Debenham and Freebody
Advertisement for Debenham and Freebody and their bathing suit fashions for 1934. On the left is the seasons swimming suit with a perfect fitting brassiere top

Mrs Frye at Monte Carlo Beach
Mrs Frye, wife of Mr W. Byron Frye pictured in a white bathing suit with green sash posing by the waterfall at Monte Carlo Beach on the French Riviera in 1932. Date: 1932

Captain and Mrs Woolf Barnato at Eden Roc
The financier and car racer Woolf Barnato and his wife Claridge Quealy pictured at fashionable Eden Roc on the French Riviera in 1932

Wolsey bathing suits and beach suits advertisement, 1931
Advertisement for Wolsey bathing and beach suits made of smooth, soft wool, with an elastic, close-ribbed knit that makes them fit, in the water or out of it, just like an extra skin. Date: 1931

The Girl Who Really Went to Swim
A girl pauses on a diving board as she prepares to dive into a swimming pool. The title of the picture is a comment on the increasing craze for sunbathing during the late 1920s - somebody actually

Monte Carlo advertisement, 1932
Advertisement for Monte Carlo beach on the French Riviera and all its associated entertainments. Date: 1932

Spain. Catalonia. Barcelona. Bath at the beach. Engraving by Rico. The Spanish and American Illustration. 1890. Colored

Bathing at Brighton during the holidays - young women emerge from a bathing machine. circa 1900s

Music cover, Lets Have A Basinful of the Briny, song by Ralph Butler and Harry Tilsley. Showing a family of three having fun on the beach. 1934

Girl on Rock 1950S
Fifties brunette, standing atop a barnacle encrusted rock in the sea, recreates the Birth of Venus wearing a plaid swimsuit & hiding her modesty with a towel. Date: 1950s

Swimwear / Barbier 1913
Pretty bathing belle in a swimsuit consisting of a high waisted & belted tunic (presumably with shorts or bloomers beneath) & a matching cap daintily holds a crab. Date: 1913

Bathing Beauty 1918
An elegant red-headed lady in a green swimsuit goes for her first swim. Date: 1918

Bathing Beauty C1910
An elegant bather in red swimsuit and cap, and a diaphanous pink veil, steps gingerly into the sea. Date: circa 1910

First Dip of the Year
Taking her first dip of the year, this young womans tight bathing costume doesn t leave much to the imagination. Date: 1914

Bathing Beauty / Sporty
A sporty young woman balancing on a kind of raft towed by a powerboat, and loving every minute of it. Date: 1917

Slix bathing suit, 1938
A slix swim suit in lined oil silk, shirred and draped, never shrinks or sags and telescopically fits all figures. Worn together with a Slix cape in the same fabric. Date: 1938

Young lad sitting on a sandy beach - Summer. Date: circa 1930s

Mother and daughter in swimsuits and bathing caps sitting in the surf. Date: circa 1920s

Children playing in a pool on a sandy beach. Date: circa 1960s

Beach scene, men playing leapfrog, women watching
Beach scene, with men playing leapfrog and women watching. Date: 1902

Powdering before taking plunge in swimming pool
A member of the cast of the Paramount film, The Garden of Weeds, powders her face before taking part in a bathing party scene

Advertisement, Michigan Water Wonderland -- thousands of pleasures add up to one wonderful vacation. 1952

Everett Adargo, deep sea diver, Santa Catalina Island, USA
Everett Adargo (1891-1971), deep sea diver on Santa Catalina Island, California, USA. Date: circa 1920s

Fashionable bathing dress 1912
A distinctive bathing dress, in navy-blue bunting decorated with white braid and turkish towelling coat. 1912

American Model modelling an elegant Jantzen swimsuit. Date: 1940s

Swimwear for the sea and sun 1933
Models wearing three different style woollen swimsuits by Jantzen. Date: 1933

American Art Deco Playing Card Back - Female bather (2)
High stylised (and stylish) American Art Deco Playing Card Back - Female bather rather seductively taking off (or putting on) her bathing top against a black background. Date: circa late 1920s

American Art Deco Playing Card Back - Female bather (1) Date: circa late 1920s

A jolly young Bather sitting cross-legged with her parasol
A jolly young Bather sitting cross-legged with her Japanese-style parasol - " I hope it keeps fine for you!" Date: circa late 1920s

Swimming Attire - France
Stylish French girl in a figure-hugging Swimsuit, with light pumps laced up her calves, a bonnet on her head and towel draped over her right shoulder. Date: 1911

Knitted swimming costume, c. 1935
Woman wearing a knitted swimming costume in an intarsia pattern, 1930s. c.1935

Swimming pool at a holiday camp, Paignton, Devon
Holidaymakers at a swimming pool in a holiday camp at Paignton, Devon, with chalets in the background. Date: 1950s

Pretty bathing dress in alpaca 1906
Woman wearing a black swim dress with embroidered applications in white. Date: 1906

Women diving, Lake Placid, New York State, USA
Women diving into the water at Lake Placid, New York State, USA. Date: 1920s

Young woman in a boat at Newquay harbour, Cornwall. Date: circa 1980s

Tattoo lipstick advertisement, 1939
" Tattoo speaks its DIFFERENCE on glamorous lips", glamorous like the beautiful blonde woman with flower-like lips shown in this late 1930s advertisement. Date: 1939

Dazzle style fashion on the beach, 1919
Dazzle fashion, inspired by the dazzle camouflage pioneered by the British Navy during the First World War, seen in evidence on a beach in 1919, complete with matching parasol and head scarves

Macaws in Parrot Jungle, Miami, Florida, USA
Macaws perched on a young womans arms in the Parrot Jungle, a tourist attraction in Miami, Florida, USA. Date: circa 1940s

Miss Modern magazine August 1934 by Fred Purvis
Front cover of Miss Modern magazine for August 1934 featuring a girl in a yellow bathing costume seated on a diving board over a pool or the sea

Five children on a breakwater at the seaside
Five children sitting on a breakwater at the seaside. Date: circa 1920s

Girl and boy paddling at the seaside. Date: circa 1920s

Women on a beach at a seaside resort
Women sitting on a beach at a seaside resort with a row of bathing tents nearby. Date: circa 1920s

Little girl with rubber ring in the shape of a duck
Little girl standing on a beach with an inflatable rubber ring in the shape of a duck. Date: circa 1920s

Young woman in swimsuit at the seaside
Young woman in a swimsuit and bathing cap at the seaside. Date: circa 1920s

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From vintage pin-ups to modern beach babes, the swimsuit has always been a symbol of style and freedom. In 1922, a child wearing a swim cap sits in the surf, capturing the innocence and joy of summer days. Fast forward to World War II, where an American actress becomes the most popular pin-up photograph for our brave armed forces. Margarita Cansino, later known as Rita Hayworth, mesmerizes audiences with her beauty and talent as an actress and dancer. A 1940s-style Navy pin-up girl strikes a pose next to a vintage Corsair aircraft, embodying both glamour and patriotism. Even cigarette ads couldn't resist featuring swimsuit-clad women like Wills Gold Flake's glamorous young smoker. The allure of the French Riviera beckons all year round in an enticing poster that promises sun-soaked adventures. In 1938's Pickaback Beach Delight, friends frolic on sandy shores while enjoying each other's company. Meanwhile, Audi Quattro showcases its German engineering prowess against stunning coastal backdrops. Beauty knows no bounds as contestants line up for Miss County of Cornwall beauty contest; their confidence radiates through their swimsuits. Annie Matthews breaks barriers as a woman police officer patrolling Hyde Park in London - proving that strength comes in many forms. The beaches at Cannes become playgrounds for relaxation and luxury under the warm Mediterranean sun. And who can resist Ipanema's charm? A young Brazilian woman stands proudly on Arpoador rocks overlooking this iconic beachscape. Through history and across cultures, the swimsuit remains timeless - embracing individuality while celebrating fun in the sun.