April 12, 2007: Bathing girl revue 1922

What an awesome idea: Shorpy is a blog that features photos that are about 100 years old.
This particular entry is not quite 100, but it's fun nonetheless: swimsuit models of 1922.

Amongst other things, notice how only about 1 in 10 is smiling, and notice how footwear,
headgear, and umbrellas are part of the mandatory costume. But are they sexy? Not a
chance, this is a whole 'nother culture.

Some of them are pretty sexy. Namely in the back row (from right): 2, 4, -8 and front row (from left): 7, 16, 17, 28.

true. 28 in the front row is not bad at all. She's actually smiling.

"Welcome and thanks for playing "Spot Your Grandma When She Was A Slut".

Dammit Sheldon, how did you know that was Grandma Dallas??? (4th from the left, front row)

cool picture. I'm wondering a bit about the "costumy" aspect of it--do you see the one with the dog? and the one with the dalmation print? and some of those . . . I can't even identify WHAT they were thinking of!

I get the feeling that these aren't examples of typical swimsuits from that era, but rather the fancy suits. I think typical suits were much more plain.

yet another example of the wanton strumpetism of the ladies of the 1920s. Why, you can even see their kneecaps! Scandalous. I would challenge he who framed this shot to a bout of fisticuffsmanship, but I imagine he is already dead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveDallas Dammit Sheldon, how did you know that was Grandma Dallas??? (4th from the left, front row)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheldonrs Pretty easy to figure out. 1. She's wearing the suit you use for your MySpace pic. 2. She's a slut. hehehehe

Quote:

Originally Posted by grant Some of them are pretty sexy. Namely in the back row ... 8 ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spexxvet I didn't know they had a "panorama" setting on the cameras of that era.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad She had big cans before big cans were cool. She's also smiling, not wearing headgear, and has her head tilted a little... downright modern of her! She knew what sexy was before anybody else! The whole thing makes me think: there was a time when smiling for a photograph was not the convention. Just like putting your hand out with a fake gang sign. There was a time when that was not the convention.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble Someone told me once that this had to do with camera technology of the time--you had to hold perfectly still for up to a minute for the film to fully expose. If you tried to hold your smile that long and faltered, your face would be blurry(-ier). On the other hand, there are apparently still places today where not-smiling is the custom. When we were looking at houses for sale recently, we went through one home that had family photos (the posed kind you take in a studio) covering every single wall, dozens and dozens of them, and not a single smile among any of them. It was really creepy.

I think big cans have always been cool . . . fashion trends notwithstanding

What a smashing picture. No. 7 from the right on the back row looks a little like my gran.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spexxvet I thought it might be her Cellar tattoo. I didn't know they had a "panorama" setting on the cameras of that era.

probably didn't pan the camera, but used a special camera like a noblex where the lens rotates as the film moves past the open shutter or a slit shutter passes across the film. I'll dig up some links later. I've got the inch here.

for starters

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/re...ex_150ux.shtml

I got lucky and found this link: http://www.panoramicphoto.com/ which explains:

The panoramic camera is a unique invention in that it has the capability of "panning" both camera and film resulting in an image that can display up to a full 360 degree view.

The most popular camera, at that time, was the Circuit camera, a large, box-like machine that was mounted on a sturdy tripod and featured a clock-like mechanism that would transport the film in one direction while the camera panned in the opposite direction - exposing the film (quite slowly) as it traveled past the lens.

Maybe one of the older people on this site can explain what they mean by "film"?

A piece of dark paper on which a small imp paints something really fast

Sorry DanaC, I obviously didn't mean you. I said "one of the older people."

Maybe they're all napping.

*grins* I like you! I like you a lot!

Quote:

Originally Posted by grant Some of them are pretty sexy. Namely in the back row (from right): 2, 4, -8 and front row (from left): 7, 16, 17, 28.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad She had big cans before big cans were cool.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad The whole thing makes me think: there was a time when smiling for a photograph was not the convention.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus Maybe one of the older people on this site can explain what they mean by "film"?

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus Sorry DanaC, I obviously didn't mean you. I said "one of the older people." Maybe they're all napping.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheldonrs Not napping. We just couldn't hear you with your nose all the way up DanaC's rectum.

who doesn't?

Oop... yur gonna' need a towel.

I like the bathing suits now better...

Check those sh*t kickers on number LF 3!
Could bring a whole new meaning to kicking sand in someone's face.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus Sheldonrs - that is quite an image, especially considering that DanaC "Enjoys her own farts"

Oww. Puntastic.

You sure you want to envoke the "rath" of old people all you shall get is there ramblings of WW2 and how they did things in their day or they'll break out the pictures of you as a kid

Hi Nikolai. Welcomr to the cellar. Don't feed us oldies.

Cheers DanaC and dont worry I'll only bring out the oldies on special occasions

By bring, do you mean wheel?

All these new-fangled gizmos are gettin' my dander up.
And those wimmin in those swim costumes? Exposing their knees like that?
That'll get yer blood racing like nothin' else!
See what happens when you give them the right to vote?
In my day, we didn't have cameras!
We had to build a box just large enough to hold a baby pterodactyl who'd carve the image on a piece of rock with his beak.
And every time you look in at him, he'd say "Eh, it's a living."
Where's that orderly with my medication?
If I don't get my gas pill soon, this whole place'll wish we didn't have sausage and eggs for breakfast.
Who stole my dentures?
You little commie bastard!
You better gimme them back!
I'll show you how we beat the Kaiser with nothing more than 3 cocoanuts and the elastic from our skivvies...
Who's got the TVGuide?
What's on?
Put on "Matlock"!!
MMMAAATTTTLLLOOOOCCCCKKKK!!!!!!!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........................

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus I've seen another old picture of a big group like that. I was told that they actually had to pan the camera (maybe that's where the name comes from: pan-o-rama), and in this picture the man who was at the left end of the group initially ran behind everyone and was at the right end when the camera got there, so he appears at both ends of the photo. (Either that or he had a twin brother wearing the same clothes and my father was kidding me.) Opinions?

The photographer of my Junior High School class photo picked a student to do it.

We were assigned our position in the rows by height, so it was unlikely that someone who wanted to do it would happen to be put right on the edge, unless they were really really lucky.

Quote:

Originally Posted by richlevy Are you sure you don't mean 8th from the left, the one dressed like little red riding hood?