Help dating this 40's? bathing suit

melanostalgia

melanostalgia

Registered Guest
Hi guys! I have this cute bathing suit and the lady I got it from was absolutely positive that it is from the 40's - she said it belonged to an old aunt of hers that passed away. I on the other hand doubt that it is 40's.. the seams are serged and it looks homemade? Also, the top fabric seems more 70's or late 60's to me? I am very curious to hear what you think of this. Sorry for the dirtiness, it is still in the state I got it in.

- Opens with a button on one shoulder strap
- Soft, cotton, very slightly stretchy fabric, maybe a blend
- serged seams
- fish patch/applique
- 4 belt loops
- button is metal with a plastic? cap (actually it feels a bit like latex)

IMG_3302_s.jpgIMG_3304_s.jpgIMG_3307_s.jpgIMG_3285_s.jpgIMG_3274_s.jpgIMG_3292_s.jpgIMG_3309_s.jpgIMG_3316_s.jpgIMG_3317_s.jpgIMG_3320_s.jpg
 
Another vote for '30s! Really cute style, love it - looks like it's missing the original belt but otherwise very good condition. Any tags? I have a '30s swimsuit with a similar fish, I wonder if it's the same label?

Styles of the '30s and '40s were used to inspired the late '60s and '70s fashions so that's probably why it's looking more modern to you.

Serging has been around for a while and is perfect for knit fabrics like this one, you also see it in lingerie and menswear of this era.
 
No there are no tags and no sign of there ever being one.. I know serging was around at that time but because the swimsuit is so simply constructed (only made from a thin cotton, no lining whatsoever, not in the bust not in the crotch) it just feels homemade to me. And serged seams on a homemade piece from the 30s or 40s seem highly unlikely to me? But I have absolutely no knowledge of vintage swimsuits apart from what I read online and some pictures so I trust your judgement more than mine. Maybe this is a perfectly normal construction for a commercially made swimsuit from that time, I have no idea. It's just my instincts I'm following on this one.

Amber: I am not permitted to see the link :(

Here is a better picture of the little fishy:

IMG_3297_s.jpg
 
I remember your Goldfisch swimsuit Amber, which turned out to be East German and 1960s, in spite of the styling suggesting it was earlier - but that one had a fabric label which we were able to identify as later. The logo is fairly similar, and I do thinks it's the same brand.

That thread is on the private side of our forum so you won't be able to see it Melanostalgia, but you can see Amber's suit here, and Jonathan's blog about it here.

Here is the logo from that other suit. The angle, the tail and the rings around the head are all similar to yours.

MidMarch387.jpg


I agree that serging would be very unlikely in a home made garment from the 30s or 40s. My memory is that home serging machines weren't available until the 1960s.

However with that goldfish, I do think it's likely to be the same brand as Amber's, and therefore not homemade, and German, or if post WW2, East German.

I did a little sleuthing. I found several adverts: from 1930, from 1926, from 1937, a photo from 1958, and a 1975 suit in a museum, (the last two look to have the same logo as Amber's suit.)

1930
eMuseumPlus
1926
$T2eC16h,!zUE9s39!fTSBRUJHJi1ow~~60_12.JPG
1937
$(KGrHqQOKm8E5JBicGfiBOYL(cQ6Bg~~60_58.JPG

1958
image.aspx
1975
img.php


The two 1930s ones seem to have that little goldfish on the hip, and the 1930 one is quite similar to yours - the advert even suggests that the goldfish is red, like yours.
 
Oh my!! I am floored! This is fantastic! The 1930 ad definitely looks a lot like my swimsuit, amazing! I think I can even see the button on the right shoulder, just like mine. And Germany is very possible seeing as I live in the Netherlands :)

Now I am even more surprised about the state of the swimsuit, there is not a single hole in it! Not even a pinhole.
 
I might actually be moving to the UK! My boyfriend has applied for a PhD at Southampton and will probably be getting an answer about his admittance later this week.

I have been able to dig up a little more info about Goldfisch:
According to a German Wikipedia page: In 1741 Ehrenfried Fischer founded a knitwear factory in Oberlungwitz. The Fischer family produced the Goldfisch swimsuit line "that was continued in Buenos Aires after the war". It's not clear to me which war they are referring to though.

And the Leipzig museum has a complete database with great images, look! http://museum.zib.de/sgml_internet/sgml.php?seite=6&fld_4=Badeanzug&suchen=Suchen
They have a lot of very similar 30s bathing suits

Here is a 1950s swimsuit from Goldfisch with the same style patch, only a different color:
img.php
 
Oh well done! So we are definitely right about the brand.

What a great database. I wonder if Pam from Glamoursurf, our resident swimwear expert, is aware of it? I expect she'll drop into this thread if she sees it.

Good luck with your boyfriend's PhD! I'm in London myself.
 
What a fun sleuthing job you've done Ruth and Mel(?) I believe this to be right around 1930. Perhaps late 20s. And I don't think it's cotton, it's most likely a lightweight wool or cotton blend. Have you done a burn test? I don't think cotton would pill like that and many suits from this time are made of wool. And I believe it's a ladies suit, not a mans.
 
Hi Pam thank you for the input! The name's Renée by the way! I'm really not sure about the fabric.. it is somewhat soft but it still feels way to rough for wool or a cotton/wool blend? I'm wearing a thin, knitted cotton/wool blend dress right now with only 5% wool and it feels so much softer. But I'm really not good with fabrics though.. Oh and if you look at the Leipzig Museum's database, almost all their swimsuits are listed as cotton! Unfortunately I can't do a burn test because there is absolutely no seam allowance.
 
That's an amazing suit, and what great sleuthing has been done! From the close-up shots of the fabric, it's looking to me like a wool knit. I wasn't sure that wool was still widely used for swimsuits in the 30s, but from what Pam posted, it was. And it sure looks like it to me....
 
I've found that early vintage wool is much softer than the wool produced later through the decades. Yous say it feels 'rough', so could that be the tooth from the wool? I'm loving the Goldfisch logo and applique!
 
I really don't know.. but I am going to figure it out somehow :)

Does anyone have any advice on cleaning the suit? Even though it is a bathing suit, I am afraid of washing/soaking it. Especially since the fabric content hasn't been determined yet.

There are only two problems with it:
- The shoulder straps and part of the neckline are quite dirty, very yellowed
- There is some kind of red paint on it, or maybe it's nail polish

Any advice?
 
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