Genealogy Journeys : Genealogy Journey's Podcast #54

For the first podcast of June 2018, Gena and Jean go into a discussion of bathing suits and swimwear throughout the ages. If your ancestors took to any water sports, it is likely that they enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) the various types of garments that are discussed on the podcast as well as on the websites shared below.

Jean's mother's family consisted of a number of people who weren't shy when it came to time in the water (possibly because of having a cottage on a lake - Beaver Lake, near Hartland, Wisconsin), and it seems someone was always there with a camera to capture the fun. Sadly, the photographers were not always as careful (or the cameras were not the latest options), and some of the photos are rather blurry, but you can still get an idea about what the costuming looked like.

You can listen to the beginning of the podcast from the player above. To listen to the entire podcast you must subscribe. You can do so through our channel on Podbean at http://genjourneys.podbean.com .

The obligatory Wikipedia description of the history of swimwear (not completely documented, but containing some great photos:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_swimwear

Peter and Virginia Johnson, Mamie Hollander, Hattie Hollander Warnke, Gordon and Ed Warnke

(likely photographer: Emma Johnson); Beaver Lake, Wisconsin, ca. 1914

Olivia B. Waxman and Liz Ronk, 5 June 2016, "See How Swimsuits Evolved from Victoria Times to the Bikini Age"

http://time.com/4383860/swimsuit-evolution-bikini-origins-history/

(lots of additional resources and explanation of the origin of the word "bikini")

Virginia Johnson, learning to dive (note bathing cap and swim shoes in her outfit);

Beaver Lake, Wisconsin, ca. 1921 (photographer, unknown but likely Albert Hollander)

Emily Spivack, 22 June 2012 "How Bathing Suits Went from Two-pieces to Long Gowns and Back," from Smithsonian.com.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-bathing-suits-went-from-two-pieces-to-long-gowns-and-back-134926264/
Lots of clarifying images - drawings and photos - to illustrate the evolution