One-piece Camisole Type Swimsuits
Swimwear refers to special clothing for activities in the water or on the beach. The swimsuit style in the modern concept developed slowly after swimming became a sport. Coastal residents are good at swimming in both ancient and modern times, but swimming became a sport until the 1830s in England. In 1828, the first indoor swimming pool, St George's Bath opened to the public. From the 1910s to 1920s, the concept of swimming was introduced into China through novels, pictorials, and movies, and it developed into a popular sport in the 1930s. Scholars have conducted some research on this. Jianhua Chen's Illustrations of Swimming uses words and images related to swimming as narrative objects, and expounds the process of swimming in China. Shuhua Ma's "Bathing Beach and Urban Life in Qingdao during the period of the Republic of China" analyzes the development of the beach in Qingdao during the Republic of China and its role in the construction of urban space and social life. However, little attention was paid to the clothing for swimming at that time, and it was only mentioned in some fashionable treatises of the Republic of China. The reason may be related to the sportswear attributes of modern swimsuits. The popular changes in swimsuits in the Republic of China have been classified into the category of non-mainstream fashion. In fact, there were many social responses brought by the fashion of swimsuits in the Republic of China. Major newspapers and magazines make special columns to report on the popular swimsuits. A large number of swimsuit models appeared in the monthly advertisements, and women went to the photo studio to take photos in swimsuits.
The development and dissemination of the style of swimsuits in swimming and sea bathing in China reflected the exchanges between China and the West and the changes in urban social concepts at that time, which has important research significance. By analyzing the image data in the pictorial and the physical data in the museum from the 1920s to 1940s, the stage characteristics and popular changes of women's swimsuit styles during the Republic of China are expounded, and the weather vane of swimsuit fashion and its influence are discussed in this article.
Figure 1 Swimming suits, a collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the U.S in 1885
Figure 2 Annette Kellermann in a one-piece swimsuit in the early 1900s
The classic style: one-piece camisole type swimsuits
If women's swimsuits are distinguished by pieces, they can be divided into two categories: one-piece swimsuits and split swimsuits. A one-piece swimsuit is a swimsuit with a top and pants joined together. A split swimsuit is a swimsuit in which the top and pants are separated. According to Wikipedia, women's one-piece swimsuits appeared around the mid-1900s and were called Maillot (named after a fashion designer's name) or tank suits. They are sleeveless. Most legs are exposed, and the collar can be bare collars, turn-down collars or high collars. Before this, women's swimsuits were not much different from ordinary clothing, except for the arms, which were not covered (Figure 1). The popularity of the one-piece swimsuit is attributed to an Australian named Annette Kellerman. In 1907, she was arrested due to an offense against decency on the Boston Beach for wearing a one-piece swimsuit that exposed her arms, legs and neck. This incident attracted public attention, which in turn promoted the popularity of this swimsuit. In 1910, the one-piece swimsuit became the style of women's swimwear in parts of Europe and was designated as the official women's swimsuit for the 1912 Summer Olympics.
Figure 3 One-piece camisole type swimsuits in the Picture Times, 1929
Figure 4 Line drawing of swimsuits painted by Jie Li in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the U.S in the 1920s
Since the 1920s, swimming pools, swimming coaching, and swimming competitions have gradually increased, and beautiful girls wearing swimsuits from various countries are common to be seen in newspapers and magazines. By the mid-1920s to late 1920s, the Chinese women in swimsuits came into the public. The style of swimsuits in this period was relatively simple; they look like Annette Kellerman's swimsuit. According to some studies, the structure of this swimsuit is a one-piece skirt with matching shorts inside. That was not the case. On August 11, 1929, the pictures of the "Shanghai Hongkou Swimming Pool" in the "Picture Times" magazine showed the details of the swimsuit (Figure 3). It is characterized by the swimsuit is closely attached to the body and consists of two pieces. The top is a camisole, and the two arms are exposed. The bottom part has two layers, that is, the inner layer is shorts and the outer layer is a skirt. The shorts and the skirt are connected. The shorts are shorter and they are covered with skirts.
A detailed picture of a swimsuit in the 1920s in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States makes the structure of the culottes on the bottom of the swimsuit clearer (Figure 4). In the 1920s, the one-piece swimsuits were all monochromatic and didn't have many patterns. In 1993, the article "The Latest Swimming Suits" published by "Electric Voice" once summarized that swimming suits were mostly vests earlier, and most of them were black, red, or green.
In the 1930s, swimsuit fashion developed quickly, and many new styles appeared. However, the one-piece vest swimsuit was still adopted with slightl changes. For example, the shoulder straps have become narrower. The skirt has been raised, and there were more patterns. The bottom part was no longer the pan skirt, shorts or panties. In the 1940s, the one-piece vest swimsuit appeared more like a swimming suit in a competition, it was not common to be seen in daily life.
The development and dissemination of the style of swimsuits in swimming and sea bathing in China reflected the exchanges between China and the West and the changes in urban social concepts at that time, which has important research significance. By analyzing the image data in the pictorial and the physical data in the museum from the 1920s to 1940s, the stage characteristics and popular changes of women's swimsuit styles during the Republic of China are expounded, and the weather vane of swimsuit fashion and its influence are discussed in this article.
Figure 1 Swimming suits, a collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the U.S in 1885
Figure 2 Annette Kellermann in a one-piece swimsuit in the early 1900s
The classic style: one-piece camisole type swimsuits
If women's swimsuits are distinguished by pieces, they can be divided into two categories: one-piece swimsuits and split swimsuits. A one-piece swimsuit is a swimsuit with a top and pants joined together. A split swimsuit is a swimsuit in which the top and pants are separated. According to Wikipedia, women's one-piece swimsuits appeared around the mid-1900s and were called Maillot (named after a fashion designer's name) or tank suits. They are sleeveless. Most legs are exposed, and the collar can be bare collars, turn-down collars or high collars. Before this, women's swimsuits were not much different from ordinary clothing, except for the arms, which were not covered (Figure 1). The popularity of the one-piece swimsuit is attributed to an Australian named Annette Kellerman. In 1907, she was arrested due to an offense against decency on the Boston Beach for wearing a one-piece swimsuit that exposed her arms, legs and neck. This incident attracted public attention, which in turn promoted the popularity of this swimsuit. In 1910, the one-piece swimsuit became the style of women's swimwear in parts of Europe and was designated as the official women's swimsuit for the 1912 Summer Olympics.
Figure 3 One-piece camisole type swimsuits in the Picture Times, 1929
Figure 4 Line drawing of swimsuits painted by Jie Li in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the U.S in the 1920s
Since the 1920s, swimming pools, swimming coaching, and swimming competitions have gradually increased, and beautiful girls wearing swimsuits from various countries are common to be seen in newspapers and magazines. By the mid-1920s to late 1920s, the Chinese women in swimsuits came into the public. The style of swimsuits in this period was relatively simple; they look like Annette Kellerman's swimsuit. According to some studies, the structure of this swimsuit is a one-piece skirt with matching shorts inside. That was not the case. On August 11, 1929, the pictures of the "Shanghai Hongkou Swimming Pool" in the "Picture Times" magazine showed the details of the swimsuit (Figure 3). It is characterized by the swimsuit is closely attached to the body and consists of two pieces. The top is a camisole, and the two arms are exposed. The bottom part has two layers, that is, the inner layer is shorts and the outer layer is a skirt. The shorts and the skirt are connected. The shorts are shorter and they are covered with skirts.
A detailed picture of a swimsuit in the 1920s in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States makes the structure of the culottes on the bottom of the swimsuit clearer (Figure 4). In the 1920s, the one-piece swimsuits were all monochromatic and didn't have many patterns. In 1993, the article "The Latest Swimming Suits" published by "Electric Voice" once summarized that swimming suits were mostly vests earlier, and most of them were black, red, or green.
In the 1930s, swimsuit fashion developed quickly, and many new styles appeared. However, the one-piece vest swimsuit was still adopted with slightl changes. For example, the shoulder straps have become narrower. The skirt has been raised, and there were more patterns. The bottom part was no longer the pan skirt, shorts or panties. In the 1940s, the one-piece vest swimsuit appeared more like a swimming suit in a competition, it was not common to be seen in daily life.
