More than one hundred
years ago, The Gang assembled for a group shot on the public dock in East
Boothbay, Maine; they all summered in cottages strung along the shores of Murray
Hill overlooking Linekin Bay, all learned to swim in those freezing waters, all
spent lazy high-tide afternoons diving and jumping off the public dock, keeping
cool.
Two of those young men in the back row
are relatives of mine--the last two on the right are my great-uncles, Richard and Allen. And I’m pretty sure that one of the
boys in the front row is my great-uncle Prescott, although I can’t tell which
one. Furthermore, I'll bet the photo was taken by my grandfather, who should be in the picture...but isn't.
The two women? I’m not sure. The one
on the far left might be Jessie Gould (a cousin)—I’m basing that guess on the
gold bracelet she’s wearing on her left arm (I have one, too; given to me by my
father on my twenty-first birthday)—but the one on the right is totally
unknown.
But look at the
swimwear!
My grandfather told me once that those
bathing suits were made of wool.
Wool!
I can’t imagine.
He said the “itch factor” was sky-high—not
while they were in the water, but
when they were out—and they spent most of their time trying not to scratch in inappropriate
places!
I love the pale, skinny legs and the combination
of brown forearms and white upper arms—the boys obviously rolled their
shirtsleeves in the summer…
And look at Richard’s striped number!
Clearly, the height of men’s fashion in the early 1900s. Allen’s wearing white
bottoms, which might be another fashion trend.
I can’t imagine my
great-grandmother going for that bit
of foolishness!
