11 Vintage Beach Photos | Free Download
Here’s a small collection of free vintage beach and swimming photographs. These are curated from various public domain resources, lightly edited, and are available for personal or commercial use as they are out of copyright in the United States. If you’re from outside the US, you may have different restrictions.
To download these images, click on the image to open it to full size and then save to your computer or device.
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But if you prefer, you can also download images individually by continuing down this post.
And now: onto the images!
Women in Vintage Bathing Suits
Starting off strong with two women wearing vintage bathing suits– though at the time they were modern, of course. I think this is from the 1920s or 1930s based on their bobbed haircuts. Love the big beach umbrella behind them!
1920s Bathing Suit
Another lady with bobbed hair and a white vintage bathing suit, with some nifty coordinating boots. I can’t get over how this style of swimming suit has a belt— what exactly are you holding up, there?
Flapper at the Beach
This young lady has quite the movie star look, with Clara Bow style makeup, bobbed blonde hair and dark stockings. I’m sure that swimsuit is woolen, as was typical at the time.
See also: Using a Focus Image in a Digital Collage
Beach Beauty Contest
Here’s a lineup of some fashionable young women for a beauty contest at the beach! So many interesting swimsuits and swim shoes to look at, plus the matching hats are fun. Did they swim in those hats or are they just for the photo?
Women in vintage Bathing Suits & Caps
Two women now with actual bathing caps on, and of course the vintage style swimsuit of the time. They don’t seem to be wearing stockings at least, though they have huge white belts on which is still pretty hilarious.
Another Beach Beauty Contest
Most of the women here have longer hair, so this must be from the 1910s or very early 1920s. The lady on the far left has a GREAT look, with a pirate-ish head scarf and a matching umbrella.
See also: Getting organized: Digital collage elements, photos, and ephemera
York Beach in Color (2)
Here’s two photos of York Beach in the early 1900s. Though the people on the beach are tiny, you can see their Edwardian style swimsuits– which for the women seem to be full on dresses. I thought this photo was so fun that I edited it to have slightly brighter colors. The first is the original aged photo, and the second is the edited one.
Which version do you prefer? The aged one is great for a vintage style junk journal, but the edited one would be fun in a collage or scrapbook.
Three friends at the Beach (2)
Here’s a set of two photos of the same three women, from the 1920s or 1930s. They’re laughing and having fun in the water, and if they’re wearing any belts I can’t spot them.
Fun!
Victorian Swimsuits
The last photo I’ll share is of this small group of girlfriends sitting on a beach in Victorian (or perhaps Edwardian) swimwear. Notice the long length of the skirt and the full sleeves, plus huge collars! There’s also a fellow in the background with a fun striped suit on.
I hope you enjoyed these images! If you use them in a collage or junk journal spread, leave a comment and let me know!
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