Fire Island, from the Fancy Bathers series (N187) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This small chromolithograph from William S. Kimball & Co.'s "Fancy Bathers" series presents a woman poised by a wooden structure against a seaside backdrop. The scene evokes the evolving cultural ritual of seaside leisure. The woman's striped bathing costume, adorned with decorative ribbons and buttons, embodies the era's aesthetic sensibilities. Yet, it is her pose that captures my attention. Leaning forward with hands pressed against the wooden box, she embodies a tension. The posture, reminiscent of figures at thresholds, symbolizes transition and anticipation. The wooden box can be read as a symbol of the liminal space between land and sea, civilization and nature, safety and the unknown. This recalls similar thresholds in ancient art, like Roman bathhouses, where mosaics depicted sea creatures and bathers, blurring the boundaries between real and mythical realms, reflecting both a longing for connection and a hint of subconscious fears. In its own way, this little card encapsulates a moment of transformation, and reflects the psychological pull of the sea.