[Young women modeling: full lgth., holding sword behind shoulders]

Share

This photograph shows two young women posed full length, each holding a fencing sword behind her shoulders, a stance that displays both the weapon and the outfit. The print is credited to photographer Fritz W. Guerin and dated around 1901, though the record notes that its details come from an old caption card and have not been independently verified. By the turn of the twentieth century, fencing had become a fashionable pastime for women in the United States and Europe, and images like this one often show how sport and dress were changing together. Clothing for active pursuits was loosening from the heavy, restrictive styles of earlier decades.

More from the Family Life collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.