Throwback Thursday: 10 Vintage Photos of Bostonians at the Beach
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Children playing at Malibu Beach in Dorchester / Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
Heading to the beach this weekend? So were plenty of fellow Bostonians almost a century ago.
Before those cooling fountains on the Greenway existed, city dwellers opted to go for a dip at beaches in Boston. Swimmers flocked to Malibu Beach, City Point, and other spots to beat the heat, much like they do today.
Catch a glimpse of Boston’s beaches through the lens of Leslie Jones. Jones captured countless snapshots of daily life in Boston during his 39-year-long career at the Boston Herald-Traveler. His work is preserved on digitalcommonwealth.org, a digital archive of the Boston Public Library. Check out his photos of Boston’s bathing beauties below to take a step back in time.
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Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
Two “bathing girls” dance to the tune of a banjo in 1921.
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Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
Seven pals soak up the sun.
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Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
Bathing beauties pose for a photo.
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Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
A crowd of beachgoers at City Point gathers for a photo during the summer of 1931.
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Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
Bathing girl Gertrude Fuller strikes a pose at Revere Beach in 1930.
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Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
Three children and their dog cool off in a self-dug pool at the beach.
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Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
Kids lounge at a South Boston beach—along with their bikes.
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Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
Swimmers stage a photoshoot along a South Boston beach in 1920.
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Courtesy of the Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library
Bathing girls pose at Revere Beach in 1919.