Pismo Beach, CA History Photos

Pismo Beach, Calif.—It's clear to see that some things have changed, and some haven't. The photo appearing in a shop window in nearby Arroyo Grande shows women circa 1909 enjoying the seaweed and getting wet in the Pacific Ocean 100 years ago, much like girls and women do today. Their smiles and posing for the camera aren't a whole lot different that today's poses for a cell phone picture you post instantaneously on Facebook.

However, those old pictures required some darkroom developing and photo printing, so the ladies and girls would have had to wait maybe a day to get their beach souvenir photo. 

Beach pleasure at California beaches is universal. But the swimsuits and swim wear have change quite a bit in 100 years. Today if you don't see the cheeks on a buttocks, you're probably not looking close enough at a woman's suit. The cuts are generally revealing and would provide much more to see than even the ladies' undergarments worn back in the early 1900's.

Notice that even the long, flowing hair we might see today at the beach is tied back in buns and braids on these girls and ladies' heads.

The swimsuits in the photo look to be some sort of lighter fabric—maybe a cotton. And look at what's covered—the neckline is high, covering any sort of cleavage, the sleeves are mid-length, not revealing much above the elbows, and the skirts are full as to not show form fitting shapes. The length of the skirts comes to below the knees.

The style of the day was dark colors—quite impractical for long term beach and Pacific Ocean exposure as the salt and sun would quickly ruin the colors. And then there's the thing about the heat. If you sit out in the sunshine in a black dress that covers you up, it's going to get pretty toast—maybe even hot.

The women and children do appear to be barefoot. That's probably a good move, as any shoes would be ruined.

It's also noteworthy in the photo that all six women are all smiling but the three young girls sitting on the ground are not. Photos often required posing still and not moving for a short period of time. Maybe the girls didn't want to sit still.

For insight into what broke the barrier, allowing women to begin to dress more functional for water sports, be sure to read up on one California lady who dared to get in trouble, Annette Kellerman.