Antedating of "bathing beauty" (1897)

[Mullins, Bill]

In 1889, the W. S. Kimball tobacco company issued as sales premiums a set of
chromolithographed color trading cards entitled "Beautiful Bathers' Cards".
This was a reformatted reissue of an earlier set entitled "Fancy Bathers".
They both feature pictures of women in bathing suits at various beaches.

In 1889, the Kinney Brothers company issued a similar set entitled "Surf
Beauties".

>--------------------- Information from the mail header
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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Sam Clements <SClements at NEO.RR.COM>
>Subject:      Antedating of "bathing beauty" (1897)
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>
>M-W and OED have 1920. =20
>
>Using Proquest, Chicago Tribune, Sept 26, 1897.  (Advertisement) p.40:
>
>>>Clark-ST. Dime Museum/Monday, Sept.27, 1897/Bates, the MUCH MARRIED =
>MAN,in a New Role/ Bates and The Bathers/  (picture of Bates and the =
>Beauties--ed.)
>
>BOLD, BAD BIGAMIST/Bossing Bathing Beauties./ The famous Englewood =
>Divorcee as Director of the Aquatic Carnival of Lovely Lady Swimming =
>Experts from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and =
>Chicago./
>
>The Only and Original Rosa and the Little Egypt Midway Dancers.<<
>
>SC
>