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Neatorama just featured this great and strange photo of bathing machines, and I was completely intrigued. Apparently, the sheds on wheels were popular in the 19th century (even Queen Victoria had one!) and were there to–what else?– protect a woman’s chastity. At the time, beaches were segregated, so men and women used separate sections. In fact, because it was considered coarse to see a woman in her bathing suit, ladies entered the machines in their street clothes, changed into their swimwear in the dark room (there were no openings for light in the sheds), and then had the little room pulled toward the water.
To actually enjoy the ocean, women employed “dippers” to help them descend into the water at an appropriate pace, dunk them with appropriate vigor, and pull them out at the appropriate time (there were a lot of rules). Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the bathing machines, though, isn’t the fact that they existed, but just how prevalent they were. While some beaches and resorts used horses to pull the things into the water, others had wooden ramps for the wheels, and steam-powered cables to push and pull the machines in and out. Once mixed gender beaches became the norm in the early 1900’s, however, the machines went the way of the dinosaurs. Story via the geniuses over at Neatorama.
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Hey, I saw one of these in a photo within a book about the history of swimsuits.. only I think there were both men and woman in it.. maybe that was the said “dipper” great post!
posted by hannah on 10-3-2008 at 12:24 pm
I volunteer at a museum and there was a picture of these bathing machines. It took a guest to final give me the answer to, “What the heck is that?” Apparently, there are featured in a movie about Queen Victoria.
posted by Marty on 10-3-2008 at 12:45 pm
I love this lesson on culture differences from history. As we know from above, the Victorian attitude was rather prudish so when they saw Japanese people bathing with one another (girls and guys) they were quite appalled. When the Japanese found out, they were quite appalled as well! They thought the West was sick for involving sexual thoughts in bathing. Apparently, they thought the West was obsessed with sex and couldn’t even bath without thinking about it!
posted by Marty on 10-3-2008 at 12:50 pm
Hannah: you’re right… Wikipedia has a note about how when men and women started going to the beach together, the machines were still in existence. But I think that only lasted a few years.
posted by Mangesh Hattikudur on 10-3-2008 at 2:48 pm
I think the Queen Victoria movie was “Mrs. Brown”.
posted by E on 10-3-2008 at 4:05 pm
I have a painting my great, great grandfather made of bathing machines in Wales, dated 1900. I believe their use was described in one of Jane Austen’s books, but I can’t remember which one.
posted by Heather M on 10-3-2008 at 4:34 pm