Mary and Nancy in suits

Those photos of Mary and Nancy modeling bathing suits at the farm took place about the year of 1956, give or take a year or so. Perhaps the date was written on the original snap shot.

The girls had summer jobs, so they had a little cash to spare and decided to go to St. Jo on a shopping spree. If I remember right, they didn't have bathing suits in mind. Probably they were thinking of getting new school clothes or just going window shopping?!

It seems that they just happened to notice a sale on bathing suits. There two left, both alike, both the right sizes, and the color they both liked. There was one problem: Mary lacked enough money. Nancy quickly came to her rescue with a loan!

The day they came out all "dolled up" I was in shock for a fleeting moment but thought they looked like beauty queens for sure. The way I recall about taking their picture was that they were a little hesitant but I convinced them that I would like to have a snapshot. I imagine that they did as well. Nancy thinks that the reason they posed with their hands on their hips was that they were pretending to be Jane Russell and Lana Turner or some of the movie stars of the late 40's and early 50's.

At that time those bathing suits were a bit old fashioned compared to the latest fashion, so they were not thought to be risque at the time, at least to them. Me? Well, bathing suits were really suits back in my early years!

Mary has picture of herself in the summer of 1958 with some of the girls at the swimming pool in Idaho Springs, Colorado, when she and some of her friends worked at the Brown Derby Restaurant. She and Jack were married in December of 1958, so she knows she had it for a few more years.

Nancy found hers in the attic several years later. It was brittle from old age and chlorine. Needless to say, she threw it away.

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