. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. Figure 2.—"Bathing Party, ; paintins by William P. Chappel {CowtesY iij Museum of the City oj .\eic Viirh.) joying the water of undeveloped shores and there is some evidence of women \enturing into the bays and rivers (fig. 2). Xe\erlheless, few women ventured into the open ocean during tlie early 19th century. They were generally afraid to brave the force of the ocean waves with only a female companion, since prevailing attitudes regarding the proper behavior of a lady prevented them from being accompanied by a man. When a fe
. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. Figure 2.—"Bathing Party, ; paintins by William P. Chappel {CowtesY iij Museum of the City oj .\eic Viirh.) joying the water of undeveloped shores and there is some evidence of women \enturing into the bays and rivers (fig. 2). Xe\erlheless, few women ventured into the open ocean during tlie early 19th century. They were generally afraid to brave the force of the ocean waves with only a female companion, since prevailing attitudes regarding the proper behavior of a lady prevented them from being accompanied by a man. When a few ignored this dictate, their bold actions gave rise to "ill-founded stories of want of delicacy on the part of the ; '" An unbiased traveler, who gave an account of this mixed bathing in 1833, stated that parties always went into the water com- pletely dressed and for that reason he could see no great \iolation of modesty. Mixed bathing at the seashore (fig. 3) was gaining acceptance, however, when it was reported only thirteen years later that ''. . ladies and gentlemen bathe in company, as is the fashion all along the Atlantic Cbast. . ." '' In place of the dressing rooms available in the float- ing baths, special facilities were frequently pro\ided. The bathing machine—in this case a device in which one changed clothes—was used where there was a gentle slope down to the water. This species of bath- ing machine was a small wooden cabin set on very high wheels with steps leading down from a door in the front. The bather entered and, while he was changing, the machine was pulled into the sea by a horse. When water was well abo\e the axles the horse was uncoupled and taken ashore. The bather was then free to enter the sea by descending the steps ''J. \V. and N. Orr, On's Bouk of Swimming (New York: " J.'^MES Stuart, Three Hears in .Ninlli Amrrua (Edinburgh: Burns and Bancr, IH46) as quoted in Thomas, op. cit. I footnote Robert Cadwell, 18.
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