A Woman to Know: Annette Kellerman
There is nothing more liberating than swimming. — Annette
(image via Library of Congress)
In 1905, Annette invented the one-piece bathing suit, a dramatic departure from the pantalooned "bathing costumes" of the 1890s. Annette's design allowed women to flip and frolic and (gasp) actually swim. With the sleek shape and stretchy fabric, she revolutionized the next step in women's liberation -- and, as a side note, popularized recreational swimming in America. As "The Diving Venus," she became famous for her modeling, synchronized swimming acts, diving records and, most notoriously, her nude appearance in "A Daughter of the Gods," Herbert Brenon's 1916 aquatic epic.
"I come from a nation of swimmers but no one remembers me now, yet I was once one of the most famous women in all the world," she said later in life. But for generations of women in Australia and beyond, Annette's simple bathing suit helped millions learn to celebrate the female body -- both in the water and on the shore.
Add to your library list:
The Original Million Dollar Mermaid (Emily Gibson and Barbara Firth)
Mermaid Queen: The Spectacular Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way to Fame (Shana Corey)
Read more:
Annette Kellerman Silverman, 87, "Million Dollar Mermaid" (The New York Times)
This woman's one-piece bathing suit got her arrested in 1907 (Boston)
Annette Kellerman: The Modern Swimmer for Modern Women (Australian Government)
Bathing Suit Shopping with Annette Kellerman, the Australian Mermaid (The Hairpin)
Annette Kellerman (The Women Film Pioneers Project)
The Australian mermaid who introduced recreational swimming (Atlas Obscura)
Heroes of Swimming: Annette Kellerman (The Guardian)
Annette Kellerman (National Portrait Gallery)
Watch more:
A Daughter of the Gods (Herbert Brenon)
Annette Kellerman's Water Ballet (Live Performance Australia)
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