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The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue
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The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

  • Johanna Eubank
  • Jun 7, 2016
  • Jun 7, 2016 Updated Jul 21, 2021
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Swimsuit styles have changed over the years. With the hot weather, it's time to take a look.

About Tales from the Morgue: The "morgue," is what those in the newspaper business call the archives. Before digital archives, the morgue was a room full of clippings and other files of old newspapers.

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Ten of the nation's top beauty queens, chosen from the 50 young women who want to be Miss America, line up in swim suits in Atlantic City, N.J., Sept. 12, 1970. From left: the Misses Arkansas, Donna Connelly; Oklahoma, Judy Adams; South Carolina, Claudia Turner; Pennsylvania, Margaret Walker; Mississippi, Christine McClamroch; New York, Katherine Karlsrud; South Dakota, Mary Johanna Harum; Texas, Phyllis George; Maine, Karen Johanna Johnson; Florida, Lisa Donovan. (AP Photo)

Uncredited

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Esther Williams, the theme girl of the first annual Los Angeles Swimming and Diving Contest to be held in September 1942, is seen in this August 1942 photo. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Actress Claudette Colbert is shown in a bathing suit for her role in the 1938 romantic comedy "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" in Hollywood, California. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Italian swim suit and straw hat, 1955. (AP Photo)

Anonymous

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Swimming champion Eleanor Holm, star of Billy Rose's Aquacade, appears at the World's Fair of 1939 in New York City on November 4, 1939. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Two-time Olympic Champion Sammy Lee of Santa Ana, Calif., stands behind three members of the U. S. Women's Olympic Swimming and Diving Team, left to right are: Paula Myers Pope, Glendora, Calif., Mrs. Juno Irwin; Mesa, Ariz., and Patsy Willard, Glendale, Calif., at Renaissance Country Club, Roslyn Heights, Aug. 7, 1960, New York. Sammy, who is coaching these gals, is hoping for medals at the Olympics. (AP Photo/Harry Harris)

Harry Harris

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

This April 1950 photo shows actress Esther Williams wearing a new swim suit of blue and white print by Cole of California, called "Cracked Ice." (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

This custom-made $500 bikini made of some 23,000 simulated pearls sewn on an elastic backing was introduced to the New York Couture Group on Jan. 11, 1966. It is water-tested as safe. Model Eita Thiel also wears a pearl headdress. (AP Photo)

Anonymous

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Actress Rita Moreno poses in this March 11, 1959 photo. (AP Photo)

Anonymous

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Dr. Aldo Gucci, head of the Florentine family noted for its exquisite leather work, helps model Vittoria shed her beach robe as she displays a swim suit outside his new store at 27 Old Bond Street, London, March 22, 1977, as a policeman stands by. (AP Photo/Laurence Harris)

Laurence Harris

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Lucky Long Beach, California, spectators were given a preview of the 1949 bathing suit when beauteous Bette Alden modeled this French convertible with a South Sea touch on Nov. 19, 1948. Created by Ruth Small, Long Beach designer, the sarong-type skirt is tied for swimming ease, and unwrapped as in the picture to give the plenty of room to do its best. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Three Latin American beauties and Miss Japan appear in official swim suits during a picture-taking session at the Miss Universe Contest in Miami Beach, Florida on July 3, 1960. They are left to right: Miss Venezuela, Mary Quiros Delgarto; Miss Japan, Yayuo Furuno; Miss Ecuador, Isabel Rolando Ceballos; and Miss Brazil, Gina MacPhersen . (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Sonja Henie is seen at her home in California modeling a summer outfit, June 1948. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

American firm Maidenform celebrated its 40 years anniversary Sept. 12, 1962 in Copenhagen by a first time show of new swim suits models. Here Maidenform's founder, Mrs. Ida Rosenthal shows swimsuits in helanca-cotton knit (model left) and helanca elastic. (AP Photo/Kroyer)

Kroyer

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Models pose in the "Neptune" bride and bridegroom beachwear presented by a Parisian bathing suit designer at his summer collection in Paris, France on May 12, 1966. She wears a bikini in white organdy with floor-length veil and pumps. He wears vinyl swimming shorts and white gloves. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

A bikini of green and brown terry cloth, with a matching bikini-cover-up-cape made of two terry cloth bath towels, that can be worn on the shoulders or covering front and back. by Emilio Pucci of Florence, model is Mei-Ling-Chan of Hong Kong fashions Italian swim suit in 1967. (AP Photo/Mario Torrisi)

Mario Torrisi

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

A matching swimming and beach coat in Catalina's Cruise in 1947. The coat and bra trim the suit are made of Everfast Zebra striped Seersucker, the suit of the new feather-weight form-fitting seersucker Lastex fabric. (AP Photo)

Anonymous

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Marsha Gale wore this newly styled matching swimming in Catalina's Cruise, 1947. The coat and bra trim of the suit are made of Everfast zebra-striped seersucker, the suit of the new feather-weight form-fitting seersucker Lastex fabric. (AP Photo)

Anonymous

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Actresses Olive Sturgess, left, of Ocean Falls, British Columbia, and Dani Crayne of Minneapolis, Minn., flank actor Clint Eastwood of San Francisco, Ca., in 1954. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Models sport various colored bathing suits, both one piece and two piece, one orange, one yellow, one red, one green, one pink, etc., 1947. (AP Photo)

Anonymous

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Catalina's backless bikini, foreground, on Joyce Sklar, sets bareback theme of 1968 swimwear previewed in Beverly Hills for the nation's fashion editors by California Fashion Creators on Oct. 17, 1967. Other models are, left to right, standing: Dale Brown in Cole of California's clinging V-waist suit; Dee Mergell in psychedelic zebra bikini by Elizabeth Stewart, and Sue Williamson in zig-zag maillot by Alexa for Lanz of California. (AP Photo/George Birch)

George Birch

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Zoe Ann Olsen poses poolside during competition in the women's amateur athletic union swimming and diving national events in Chicago, Ill., Aug. 21, 1947. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

California designers turned out a few new styles in swim fashions at a luncheon in a town house Jan. 1, 1943 in Los Angeles. At the left is a sycamore leaf ombretone individual hand blocked bengaline front with contrast lastex dark back. Model at the right: A suit of flamingo individual hand blocked front with contrast lastex dark sack. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Fashion model wearing black with white pattern swim suit with matching jacket in 1947. Catalina Island. (AP Photo)

Anonymous

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Johnny Weissmuller of Chicago, Ill., freestyle swimming champion, and Aileen Riggin of New York, women's professional diving champion, pose poolside after participating in an international swim meet in Paris, France, in 1930. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Therese Baldwin models brief black velvet bikini while Carol Merrill, left wears another of Cole of California's new bathing suit styles on Nov. 19, 1964. (AP Photo/Ed Widdis)

Ed Widdis

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Corinne Brown wears a one-piece, from fitting, nylon-lastex swim suit which features a built up, looped bra. It was one of the suits modeled Oct. 15, 1945 in New York at a showing of bathing suits for the coming year. (AP Photo)

Anonymous

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Miss America of 1943 Jean Bartel, of Los Angeles, poses, Sept. 11, 1943. She was Miss California. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

Marilyn Monroe poses in a bathing suit, left, in 1947 at age 18 at the start of her career and in a gown designed for her, right, in 1958 in the movie "Some Like It Hot." (AP Photo/files)

Anonymous

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

The Tales from the Morgue swimsuit issue

With these pose, film actress Rhonda Fleming, a beauty by anyone's definition, shows what she believes are the essentials for beauty in a woman's makeup. Her version of perfect legs. Says Rhonda: "The test of perfect legs is whether, when standing side by side, they meet all the way down, except for slightly above the ankles. Also "I favor a slightly rounded hip. I think hips should be about one inch bigger than the bust." "A woman shouldn't stand stiffly and pull in her stomach. She should be relaxed and poised. A trick that singers and models learn is to keep a little breath in the diaphragm that keeps you from getting tense" shown July 16, 1953. (AP Photo/Ed Widdis)

Ed Widdis
Johanna Eubank

Johanna Eubank

Online producer

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