Alma Blanchard Plyler Bathing Suit
Alma Blanchard Plyler (1909–1990) wore this swimsuit while vacationing with her family at Atlantic Beach in the early 1950s. The two-piece cotton gingham suit features boy shorts and a halter top with button closure. Two-piece bathing suits became popular by the 1930s–40s. The “bikini” was invented in 1946. Women in the United States tended to be slower to adopt belly-baring suits than women in Europe.