Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – The evolution of the bathing suit has reflected society's attitude towards swimming, outdoor living, modesty and sensuality. Click through this gallery of bathing suits through the ages to find out more. Hide Caption 1 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – In 1825, women wore "bathing dresses" at the beach. This illustration shows women of the era venturing into the ocean via bathing machines -- sort of a dressing room on wheels -- that brought them directly to the water. Hide Caption 2 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Fashionable bathing suits in the 1870s featured tunics atop bloomers. Hide Caption 3 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Perhaps this couple, rendered in 1875, was unable to swim, because they are wearing the "ureka" unsinkable bathing outfit that has paddle gloves, a buoy and an emergency flag. Hide Caption 4 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Victorian-era bathing suits, especially for women, covered more of the bather's skin than in the past, often including stockings. Hide Caption 5 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – When the practice of swimming as a sport caught on thanks to the modern Olympic Games, bathing suits became streamlined, for greater mobility. These women competed in the RSC swimming gala in 1906. Hide Caption 6 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Hollywood helped glamorize bathing suits as early as 1925, with Keystone Studios' "Sennett Bathing Beauties," whose bathing suits were considered provocative. Hide Caption 7 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Even if Hollywood starlettes wore outrageous beach attire, other beaches across the country, like this one in West Palm Beach, Florida, were subject to suit regulations introduced by beach censors. Hide Caption 8 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – The Jantzen swimsuits of 1933 were form-fitting and less restrictive of movement than previous swimwear. Hide Caption 9 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – By 1942, bathing suits developed a recognizably modern style. Hide Caption 10 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – French designer Louis Reard designed the "Bikini" in 1946. While other versions of two-piece swimsuits had already appeared, this one caused a real splash. Reard was unable to find a fashion model to wear the suit, so he had to hire this nude dancer from the Casino de Paris. Hide Caption 11 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – In the pin-up style, like the famous image of Betty Grable in a bathing suit from 1943, bathing suits were modeled in come-hither poses. Hide Caption 12 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Swimmers in Acapulco, Mexico, show off Hawaiian print swimming trunks in 1950. Hide Caption 13 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – The bikinis of the 1950s offered women with curvy figures, like Marilyn Monroe, left, pictured in 1951, and Bettie Page circa 1955, the structured support of undergarments. Hide Caption 14 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Teeny, weeny, yellow polka-dot bikinis and surfin' trunks capitalized on the California-style rock 'n' roll beach party frivolity of the early 1960s. Hide Caption 15 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – By the end of the decade, California beach style took a psychedelic spin with graphic prints and barely-there bikinis. Body paint, as worn by Goldie Hawn on "Laugh-In," rounds out the look. Hide Caption 16 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Actress Farrah Fawcett was a swimsuit icon in the 1970s. A poster of her wearing a simple rust-colored bathing suit and a wide smile adorned many a teenager's bedroom. Hide Caption 17 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – The Hawaiian Tropic bikini pageants of the 1980s featured models in skimpy, high-cut bikinis and swimsuits, which showed off the sun-worshiping, tanning culture of the time. Marla Maples, pictured here in the center, was a Hawaiian Tropic beauty queen before becoming Mrs. Donald Trump. Hide Caption 18 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Olympic runner Florence Griffith Joyner was known for her flashy running outfits, which reflected the sporty influence on bathing suit fashion of the late 1980s. Hide Caption 19 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – In the 1990s, fashion models shot to fame by landing the cover spot of the 'Sports Illustrated' swimsuit issue. Tyra Banks was the first African-American model to grace the cover, and did so consecutively in 1996 and 1997. Her fellow cover models include Kathy Ireland, Vendela Kirsebom, Heidi Klum, Rebecca Romijn and Rachel Hunter. Hide Caption 20 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – The leggy lifeguards on the television show "Baywatch" made these tank-style one-piece bathing suits a staple of 1990s television. Hide Caption 21 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Toward the end of the 1990s, women wanting the cuteness of a bikini but the coverage of a one-piece found salvation in the "tankini." Here, Sherece Shurmain Smith, Miss U.S. Virgin Islands 1999, models an Oscar de la Renta tankini. Hide Caption 22 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Speedo, the company that is synonymous with tiny men's swimsuit that's favored by professional swimmers and European men, made a splash at the 2000 Sydney Olympics with a high-tech, full-body swimsuit (the Fatskin) that cuts a swimmer's drag in the water. A newer version of the suit was famously used by Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Hide Caption 23 of 25

Photos: Bathing suits through the years Bathing suits through the years – Whether you call them board shorts, surf trunks or boardies, the long, bright swimsuits took off in the 2000s, especially among surfers and skaters. You can still find the long, drawstring versions but recent updates shortened them, or re-styled them to suit women. Hide Caption 24 of 25