Before the summer passes us by, I thought it was high time for some bathing suits. At first I guessed this might be a Mother-Daughter snap shot, but someone has helpfully written on the back, “Mother and Etta Doey at Lake Amnicon, July 1958.” My heart always beats a little faster when I discover these notes indicating the who, when, and where of photos. In case you were wondering, Amnicon Lake is in Wisconsin and is prized for its fishing.
I’m guessing that “Mother” is on the left, since the old fashioned name Etta probably belongs to the oldest woman. The photographer’s mother has a body very like my own—smallish on the top and wider on the bottom. I wish I wore my own swim suit with similar grace. Hers is right in style–I found many similar models in the 1957 and 1958 Sears catalogs. It even has buttons down the front!
Although she wears light colors, Etta Doey has made few other alterations for the summer weather. She looks to have on a shirtwaist dress covered up with a sweater. The older you are, the colder you get. Thick stockings cover her legs and she hasn’t even changed into a white pair of sensible shoes to mark the season. But lest you find her completely old fashioned, I think that’s a camera in her hand. Too bad we don’t have the photos she took.
