Bathing Dresses – Summer 1864

Four women stand against a railing on the beach, all in bathing dresses. The woman on the far left wears a hat with flowers and a ribbon tied beneath her chin. Her dress has a wide collar and long bell sleeves. There are buttons down the bodice, ending at the waist, and is open below the waist. The dress ends at her knees and is black, edged with narrow black trim. Underneath, she wears pinstriped bloused trousers that gather at the ankle. She wears flat slippers.

The woman to her right wears a scarf wrapped around her hair, with a bow on top. Her dress has a high v-neck, long sleeves, and ends at her knees. The dress is light colored and edged in black. There is also a crenelation pattern around the edges of her bodice and upper cap sleeves. Under her dress, she has white pants that cinch in at the ankle, and flat slippers.

The woman to her right wears a hat with a tassel in the back. Her dress is gray with a narrow white collar and three-quarter length cuffed sleeves. She has sash tied in a bow at her waist. Her trousers are gray, with a straight hem, not gathered. Both the dress and trousers have a wide white stripe at the hems. She wears flat slippers.

The woman on the far right wears a sailor hat with a ribbon with little anchors at the ends of the ribbon. Her dress is white with a v-neck, lapels, long cuffed sleeves and ends just below her hips. Her dress, lapels, and sleeve cuffs are edged in black. On her lapels, the sleeve cuffs, and in the center front corners of her dress are small anchors. Her pants are white with black stripes down the sides and two stripes at the hem. She wears flat slippers.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges