Swimsuit Collection (#26)

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

Girl and boy sitting on rocks at the seaside
Girl and boy in swimsuits, sitting on rocks at the seaside. Date: circa 1920s

Two children on beach with dog
Two children on a beach with a terrier dog. Date: circa 1930s

Womenswear. Regattas. American Illustration of the 1920s. Drawing

Advert for McMallum colour dyes 1937
Choose swimsuits bearing the sundip label, knitwear which carries the McMallum Dyed label, safe in the knowledge that they are not only the finest quailty and style

Children and boats in Mousehole Harbour, Cornwall. Date: circa 1956

Jules Gautier, stunt swimmer, with boat crew
Jules Gautier, the Manacled Swiimmer, with boat crew on the river. Date: 1910

Woman in swimsuit jumping
Woman in a swimsuit jumping. circa 1960s

Woman on beach with ball and sunshade
Woman on a sandy beach with ball and sunshade. Date: circa 1960s

Woman on beach with sunshade
Woman kneeling on a sandy beach under a sunshade. Date: circa 1960s

Woman doing handstand on beach
Woman doing a handstand on the beach. Date: circa 1960s

Cartoon, Matinee de Novembre, WW1
Cartoon, Matinee de Novembre, showing Kaiser Wilhelm shivering in the sea at Calais, with Dover guarded by battleships in the far distance during the First World War

Poster design, Passing Show, extra summer number, showing three women in swimsuits diving from a boat, and a man rowing

Cover design, London Magazine, August, one shilling, with a woman in a black swimming costume and a red scarf on her head. Containing stories by Chesterton, Baroness Orczy, Elinor Glyn and others

Duncan Goodhew, British Olympic swimmer
Duncan Goodhew (b. 1957), British Olympic swimmer, seen here giving a demonstration to young swimmers at the St Clare Swimming Pool, Penzance, Cornwall

Check Mate by S. Abbe
Illustration of a pretty young woman in a swimsuit and a fetching checked bathing cap. Date: 1915

Seaside limousine by W H Robinson
Ingenious traveling bathing hut, for the women that wants to wade in the sea. 1919

Boy at the seaside on a raft. Date: 20th century

Bystander Summer Number front cover, 1919
Front cover of The Bystander magazines summer number for July 1919, featuring a back view of a couple in their bathing costumes, embracing as they gaze out to sea. Date: 1919

H. L. Oakley and friends at Scarborough, July 1914
A jolly group, with arms linked on the beach at Scarborough, in the month before the declaration of World War One. Fifth from left is Harry Lawrence Oakley, the famous silhouette artist

Couple water-planing on a wooden raft
A couple water-planing (or planking) on a wooden raft -- the photograph has been taken from the motor boat which is towing them. Date: 1914

Tug of War by Muriel Dawson -- a little boy and his dog on the beach. Date: 1943

Bonzo gets into the usual seaside snapshot! by George Studdy
Bonzo gets into the usual seaside snapshot, surrounded by leggy bathing beauties. George Ernest Studdy (1878-1948), was the creator of Bonzo

Advert for Martin-White swimsuits 1936
Swim and tan in the only watersuit with the built-in Kestos brassiere. Invisible and unsuspected to all but the wearer, the Kestos brassiere gives uplift, support and beauty to feminine curves

Advert for J. Roussel swim suits for men & women 1936
Youthful lines come naturally with swim suits by J. Roussel in airollasta the new weave in pure wool and elastic. Date: 1936

Hollywood woman on pin-up greetings card
Hollywood woman on a pin-up greetings card, kneeling on a sandy beach in a swimsuit. Date: 20th century

Seaside scene, Come Right Along Now! Showing a young woman in a bathing costume near a beach, on the phone to a friend. Date: July 1914

Cover design, Holiday Haunts, showing a father carrying his little girl on his shoulders at the seaside. Date: 1933

Three children paddling in the sea
Three children in stripy swimsuits, paddling in the sea

Sunbathers on beach, Shanklin, Isle of Wight
Sunbathers on the beach at Shanklin, Isle of Wight. Date: 1936

Two boys in swimsuits sitting on a rock, watching something (perhaps a bird) splashing in the water

Girl in knitted swimsuit with model boat
A little girl in a knitted swimsuit, standing on a sandy beach with a model boat

Four women in swimsuits, sitting on rocks with a beach ball floating on a pool of water

Man in swimsuit on rocks
A plump man in a one-piece swimsuit, standing on rocks with his arms raised. He is holding a walking stick and a towel in one hand, and has a box camera in a canvas bag slung over his shoulder

People on and around a boat by a jetty - France
People at the seaside, on and around a boat alongside a jetty on the French coast

Woman standing in beach hut doorway
A woman in a swimsuit, standing in the doorway of a beach hut

Advert for J. Roussel swim suits for women 1936
You must look slim and shapely in a swim suit by J. Roussel. In airollasta, a weave of pure elastic wool. 1936

Young victorian woman in a bathing costume, 1880s
Vintage engraving of a Young victorian woman in a bathing costume, 19th Century

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

Israel; Dead Sea. A couple relaxes at the Dead Sea in Israel
Israel, Dead Sea. A couple relaxes at the Dead Sea in Israel

Israel; Dead Sea. A couple is covered in healing mud at the Dead Sea in Israel
Israel, Dead Sea. A couple is covered in healing mud at the Dead Sea in Israel

FASHION: SWIMSUITS, 1950. Back view of fashion models in swimsuits, two of them wearing swim fins. Photographed by Toni Frissell, 1950

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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.