Sunday Herald, Syracuse - 1891

The Sunday Herald, Syracuse - August 23, 1891

It is generally recognized by knowledgeable historians that a majority of boys enjoyed bathing in the ocean both in the UK and Europe, particularly when not within the more popular seaside resorts, completely nude. Ordinances in such towns as Bath required that all boys over the age of 10 should don bathing suits, but this was rarely followed in most coastal communities. The article to the left was printed in 1891 by a parent concerned that her daughter was surrounded by "crowds" of naked boys at British seaside areas. It reads:

A "Bewildered American" writes to the London Standard that he can't take his little girl to play in the sand at a British seaside resort without her being surrounded by crowds of naked boys. An English friend told him that they let their daughters play with naked boys of ten years of age, but draw the line at fifteen.

The original .pdf file of the newspaper's full page is included within the archival document download.