When I was little and we would go swimming, I would tease my mom about her very modest bathing suits: “I think your bathing suit has a hole in the sleeve!”  or “Did this bathing suit come with a matching hat and glove set?”

As an adult, I now totally understand the appeal of modest bathing suits and would be happy to find one that features an ankle-length skirt or comes with a lightweight overcoat.

But even as someone who has grown to appreciate ultra-modest bathing suits, some of these outfits look a bit uncomfortable. The Victorians were so tough, though, wearing wool stockings on a beach in August probably wouldn’t even faze them.

Besides the clothing choices, some of these pictures are really fun.  The first picture is my favorite, for so many reasons, but all of them are pretty great.