The beautiful bathing belles of old-time Phoenix


Let's time-travel and go see the beautiful bathing belles of old-time Phoenix. Or, if you're not familiar with the old-fashioned terminology, the beautiful swimming girls.

The term "bathing" really isn't used much anymore to describe going into water other than in a bathtub, but it used to be common. People would go for a bathe, the way that they now go for a swim. And the term "belle", which means a lovely woman, is usually only heard in the old-fashioned phrase "the belle of the ball", which meant the loveliest girl at a dance.

The language has changed, but something that hasn't changed is how much everyone likes to look at bathing belles. I do, of course, being a straight (my gay friends would call me grim) man, and I know that women like to look at them to see what the fashion is, or how they're wearing their hair.

It's 1915, so let's look at some wonderful bathing belles. These lovely young ladies are standing next to the Salt River - that's Red Mountain behind them. They are, of course, wearing their bathing caps, and it looks like the girl in the middle is showing off a daring amount of leg. Her friend there on the right of the pic, is being a tad more modest, but it's still pretty daring for 1915.

The photo has some damage, but I can see what looks like a tiny bag (too small for a purse?), a coat, and a bath towel. I can definitely see shoes on the two girls on the sides, not sure if the girl in the middle is wearing them, but I'd imagine she is. Showing toes in 1915 would have been scandalous, and there were probably boys around!

My best guess on this is that although it's sunny, it's still cool, as the girl on the left is wearing a heavy jacket. That water will be cold - it's snowmelt from up north, and I know because I've been in that river, tubing, and even in the summer the water is very cold!

Anyway, a friend of mine gave me this photo, but we have no idea who the girls are, or anything like that. I recognized the location, but that's all I got. If you see anything that catches your eye, let me know. The bathing belles catch my eye!
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