AA-2026-29F77C
On the image
A solitary swimmer in dark trunks positions himself in the break line of an Atlantic swell, that moment where a wave has crested but not yet collapsed entirely into foam. In the 1950s, a person would wade into conditions like these without irony or equipment, the assumption being that the ocean was something you swam in the way you swam in a pool, except colder and with tides. He faces the wave with the composure of someone who has made this calculation before and found it acceptable. The clarity of the water and the angle of the light suggest a mid-Atlantic beach on a clear morning, the kind of outing that required no permission, no lifeguard, and no conversation. He is alone in the frame because solitude at the beach was still a thing a person could have.
Visually related — by likeness
Swimmer in Atlantic Surf, 1950s. 1950–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-29F77C. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/swimmer-in-atlantic-surf-1950s.
@misc{aaAA202629F77C,
title = {Swimmer in Atlantic Surf, 1950s},
year = {1950–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-29F77C},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/swimmer-in-atlantic-surf-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Swimmer in Atlantic Surf, 1950s PY - 1950–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-29F77C UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/swimmer-in-atlantic-surf-1950s ER -
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