Cornish family at Dromana beach with parasols, 1927

• Many aspects of 1920s bathing costumes are seen in this photograph. Women's bathing caps were often like the cloche hats of the time. Women's 'tank suit' swimming costumes had built-in shorts. Men's costumes were often plain two-piece suits made of wool jersey, with a stripe of colour. 
• People earlier in the 20th century would have thought these swimsuits outrageously indecent. Allowing the body's shape to be seen, and having the skin below the neck line, the arms and that much thigh uncovered was a relatively new thing. But in the 1920s, between the First World War and the one that followed, people were less inhibited and wanted to have more fun.
• Parasols like those in the photograph lost popularity in the 1930s, when a tan came to be viewed as a fashionable sign of health. On the beach in this photo, though, they seem to be providing the only means of protection from the sun.
• Family photographs like this one from 'Melbourne's Biggest Family Album' reveal much about how families lived and played, and provide valuable information on aspects of times past.

F; 1; 2