Mary Lincoln's Fashions

[Anita]

(07-28-2014 05:01 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  That's a very interesting question, Anita - 19th century bathing fashions and customs! (Most likely it was inappropriate for women to swim - thanks God I was not born back then.)

It appears Mary had bathing costume options. She read "Godey's Lady's Book". I found this on http://www.victoriana.com/library/Beach/...gSuits.htm

    Mid-19th Century:

In the mid-19th century bathing dresses covered most of the female figure. These garments were highlighted in Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1864. the long bloomers exhibit the influence of Amelia Bloomer’s innovative ideas for women’s clothing. The ”turkish” pants and “paletot” dresses are made from a heavy flannel fabric which would surely weigh down the swimmer.

On the same site is this description of the " BATHING MACHINE-
At ocean resorts where the water was very shallow near the beach, people undressed in little houses on wheels, which were drawn out into deep water by horses and hauled back to the shore when the bath was finished. At the larger resorts hundreds of these carts were seen in the water at a time. The broad wheels hardly made an impression on the firm, white sand of the beach.

The bathing machine allowed a modest Victorian woman to spend the day at the beach in complete privacy. After the horse would haul the cabana into the ocean, the 19th century woman would change from her layers of petticoats and dress into another layer of swimwear. Later a hood was added to the contraption to allow the female in a soaking wet flannel dress to emerge from the water unseen."