The bathing machine is believed by many to have been invented in 1750 by a Quaker named Benjamin Beale. Before the Victorian era, men and women swam and bathed in the nude. This wasn’t a pastime for them, however. People in the 18th and 19th centuries bathed for their health.
A Brief Description
A bathing machine was a small wooden house, or shed, raised high on large wheels. It had entrances front and back—either doors or canvas curtains. Also, it had steps. During the nineteenth century, its popularity grew. These small structures were often seen on American, British, and Mexican beaches. As seen in the photo below, Queen Victoria had her own personal bathing machine.
Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine. Photo Credit: By grumpylumixuser, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54984764
Why They Were Invented
During the Victorian Era, mixed bathing was considered immoral. Men and women swimmers had separate beaches, or if not, they had separate sections of the same beach.
So, the bathing machine was primarily invented for women. Modesty was the rule of the era for females, and these machines gave them the privacy they needed to change out of their street clothes into their swimming costumes.
Victorian women, however, had to bathe in dresses, a cumbersome experience for them and a reason why so few of them could swim. Early swimwear consisted of ankle-length wool or flannel dresses. Like our fashions today, ladies’ swimwear changed over the decades.
“Mermaids at Brighton,” by William Heath, 1829
How Bathing Machines Worked
First, a lady would walk up high steps into the machine and through a door(or canvas cover). Inside, she’d likely find a bench to sit on and a special compartment for her clothes. She’d get out of her day dress, which she’d store in the compartment, then change into her swimming outfit. In the later 1800s, a swimming dress was typically shorter than her street dress. It also consisted of pantaloons, shoes, a swimming cap, and stockings.
After she changed, either a horse or a person would roll the machine into the sea. Then, she’d exit another door (or canvas cover) and enter the water. She’d splash around and bathe, perhaps jump a few waves while holding onto a rope attached to a buoy. When she wanted to return to shore, she’d raise a flag on the machine’s peaked roof to signal her intent. Then, either a horse or a person would draw her back onto the beach while she, inside the machine, changed back into her street clothes.
On their beaches, men sometimes used these machines as well.
In 1862, Britain passed a law that male and female bathers had to stay separate from each other by at least 60 feet. If a lady didn’t have a bathing outfit, she would be provided with one, and drawers would be loaned to men who wanted to bathe.
“Bathing Machine Gals, 1902”
Ladies Who Couldn’t Swim
For ladies who couldn’t swim in this era, they could still enjoy a refreshing dip with the help of a dipper, a strong woman who’d escort them out of the machine, into the water and dunk them.
In my current work-in-progress, I feature a bathing machine in one of my scenes. The girl you will see in this short video shows us a swimming costume that was popular in the 1870s, my current WIP’s era.
Sources
Lucy Davidson. “What was a Victorian Bathing Machine?” HistoryHit, March 2, 2022, What Was a Victorian Bathing Machine? | History Hit
Liz T. “The Evolution of Women’s Swimwear from the 1700s to Today,” Glitz. Glam, and Rebellion. June 8, 2020, The Evolution of Women’s Swimwear from the 1700s to Today – Glitz Glam and Rebellion
—- “How did a Victorian Bathing Machine Work?” Shutterbulky. Credited to Vintage Everyday, How did a Victorian bathing machines work? Amazing facts with 25 photos – ShutterBulky
Vic, “Benjamin Beale’s Invention for the Bathing Machine,” Jane Austin’s World, August 10, 2009, https://janeaustensworld.com/2009/08/10/benjamin-beale-bathing-machines/