Christmas morning, St Kilda Beach
A happy and exuberant crowd of mostly children bathe in the shallows of St Kilda Beach on Christmas morning, 1933. They are all wearing conservative one-piece swimming costumes. However, in Europe, form-fitting bathing attire was reflecting the shift from “taking in the water” to “taking in the sun”. The name “swim suit” was coined in 1915 by Jantzen Knitting Mills (USA). Later in the day the city was swamped by rain and cold weather – how Melbourne!
MCK027 Inkjet print by John Gollings on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
Published: The Age 26 Dec 1933
Featured in "Newsworthy: Melbourne in photographs 1933-1936" exhibition at East Melbourne Library, October to December 2023. Exhibition caption by project volunteer Louise McKenzie.