Between the Covers

Hardcover. Quarto. Full red morocco with gilt titled on the spine and marbled endpapers housed in a custom-made slipcase. A collection of 48 gelatin silver photographs measuring between 3” x 4½” and 7” x 9½” with captions in the negative. About fine album with some fading on the spine with fine photographs.

A lovely album containing photographs of women modeling bathing suits for the swimwear company EMO in 1951 and 1952. Most of the images feature a lone female model, wearing a specific EMO bathing suit, posed in a fake beach setting in a studio. The additional photographs document a fashion show in which the models shown in the studio shots are now modeling suits in a crowded salon filled with heavily-clothed men and women. This album highlights the suits of the coming summer season—one-piece designs as well as well two-piece semi-bikinis.

The EMO firm was a French swimwear company with a line of swimsuits from its own version of nylon, called “emolyn,” but it also made pieces in cotton or mixed blends. Each of the large studio photos are also captioned with the specific product name—“Evian” or “Embrun” or “Exquinoze” or the cotton-printed “Exotisme” with the marine-floral design-- each model style beginning with the letter E.

A wonderful collection of photographs detailing early 1950s swim fashion.

Item #449658