Trends in female swimwear between the wars
This month, we feature an interesting pair of photographs that illustrate ordinary life in the past and highlight the rise of amateur photography, the increasing popularity of swimming and trends in female fashion between the First and Second World Wars
These two prints, purchased from an antiques stall in Brighton, are amateur snapshots from nearly 90 years ago, taken using a personal box or folding camera ready-loaded with roll film. They should be family heirlooms, but, sadly, had been discarded, or at least separated from a wider private collection, and their provenance – ownership history – is unknown. And yet, their historical and geographical context isn’t entirely lost: thanks to clear handwritten annotations on the back of each, we can regard them as connected images, knowing exactly when and where they were taken, and even who they portray.
Early to mid-20th-century snapshots were often identified by the photographer or one of their subjects. The handwritten notes
here, inscribed in traditional ink (commonly used until at least the 1950s/1960s), are undoubtedly original, added soon after the photos were developed, and almost certainly accurate. Originating on 4 September 1933, these sequential scenes depict six young women in bathing costumes lined up inside the pool area at Wakefield Baths; later five of the six pose outside, dressed in outdoor clothes and holding rolled towels. The missing woman may be the photographer.
If any readers descend from Marjorie Grimshaw, Mary Radley, Bella L., Harriett Green, Marjorie Horsnell or Ivy Walker and would like these photographs, please email
Jayne Shrimpton
1 CASUAL SNAPSHOTS
Many people acquired user-friendly home cameras between the wars and enjoyed snapping away at various occasions, producing lively, natural visual records of real-life situations. Along with other sports and physical pursuits, swimming grew increasingly popular as a leisure activity in the 1930s, fuelling a surge in public baths and lidos nationwide.
2 WORK COLLEAGUES
These women, aged probably in their twenties, were conceivably work colleagues or friends. In 1933, 4 September fell on a Monday, suggesting a lunch-break or after-work swim ( datedatego.com/whatday-of-the-week-september-4-1933).
3 SWIMMING COSTUMES
Their one-piece costumes with plunging necklines, narrow shoulder straps and thigh-high legs represent the latest trends in women’s bathing attire.
4 ‘WAKEFIELD BATHS’
Information online suggests that Wakefield’s only public baths from 1874 until 1938 were at Almshouse Lane.
5 STREET FASHIONS
The second photograph, taken outside, demonstrates street fashions typical of the early 1930s: mid-low calf-length frock and coat hemlines, bar shoes, short waved hairstyles and neat tilted hats.