There’s something incredibly moving and magical about seeing videos from the past. Not only are we getting a glimpse of our ancestors, but we’re seeing them doing things that simply don’t have a place in today’s society.
Of course, there were plenty of activities from the late 1800s that we still love to do today.
The infrastructure and technology may not have been there, but the natural landscape certainly was.
One of the most loved activities today is the beach and it was no different 122 years ago.
Going to the beach didn’t become a cultural phenomenon until the late 18th century. Today’s beach vacation was actually invented in the United Kingdom, and it took a great deal of rethinking for people to get used to the idea.
Once upon a time, the beach was synonymous with danger and shipwrecks. It certainly wasn’t a place to relax. But somehow, at some point, that all changed.
If you’re fascinated with the past, you’ll love this enhanced video of an 1889 beach day.
The camera had only been invented a year before, so the original footage would have been grainy and stuttery.
But in this enhanced video, we get to see everything in slightly better quality – even with some colors popping through.
Back in 1889, a trip to the beach started with a train journey.
Few people could afford a car in the late 1800s and early 1900s, so the big journeys were taken on the train or bus.
It’s fascinating to see the different attire from this era.
For a day at the beach, we now tend to wear as little as possible. We’ve basically narrowed it down to shorts, t-shirts, and short dresses. Back in 1889, women wore long dresses with ruffled sleeves and big bonnets, while men dressed in full suits.
Like many occasions 100 years ago, beach trips were an opportunity to dress up in your finest.
But that certainly didn’t stop some beach-goers from getting in the sea, though by the looks of it, many were still fully clothed.
Swimwear had been invented in the mid-1800s, and it does look like some vacationers are wearing old-fashioned swim attire.
It’s surprising to see the things that haven’t changed over 122 years.
We still bring fold-out chairs to the beach today, and, especially in France and the UK, beach huts are still very common.
While the music playing sounds very old-fashioned, some things don’t change, like the crying child towards the end of the film.
This video was recorded on the beaches of Étretat and Le Tréport in Normandy, France.
A quick Google search brings up the same white cliffs that can be seen in the video. The Le Tréport beachfront, however, is far more built-up than it was 122 years ago when only a few tall stone terraced buildings stood beyond the beach.
It’s certainly interesting to watch videos like these and imagine the lives of the people featured. When their vacations were over, they would have gone back home and settled into a routine that we simply couldn’t imagine.
100 years ago, there were no mobile phones, no social media, and very few celebrities. Some would say it was a simpler life, aside from the fact that it was expected you wear your best eveningwear on the beach.
Take a trip to a beach back in time in the video below!
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