At a beach in Sweden, 1910
Stockholm’s Nordiska Museum, located on the island of Djurgården, continues to stage thoughtful exhibits about the history of fashion. The museum is currently spotlighting 300 years of fashion, and recently staged an interesting exhibit about the Dandy phenomenom.
Starting on January 25, Nordiska will get even closer to the skin with a small exhibit about men’s bathing suits and swimwear. A press release announcing the exhibit explains that the first swimming school in an academic setting was established at Uppsala University in 1776. The male students (no girls allowed) practiced swimming naked, but had to put on shorts for their final exams.
A book on the subject authored by Marianne Larsson about men’s bathing suits will be released in conjunction with the exhibit.
Note: In the photo above several men wear white caps with short, dark brims. One century later, Swedish students wear exactly the same style of caps (studentmössor) when they graduate from high school.
Scandinavian Fashion 