Burgess (LOC)

Bain News Service,, publisher.

Burgess

1911 Sept. 19 (date created or published later by Bain)

1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.

Notes:
 Title and date provided by the Bain News Service on the negative.
Photo shows William T. Burgess (1872-1957), who swam the English channel on Sept. 6, 1911. He was also known as Thomas William Burgess. (Source: Flickr Commons project, 2008 and 2009)
Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).

Subjects:
 Swimming

Format: Glass negatives.

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

General information about the Bain Collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain

Persistent URL: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.09755

Call Number: LC-B2- 2294-8

Comments and faves

  1. ★

    pamelakucera, Zabowski, bclelandart, D Bircham, and 129 other people added this photo to their favorites.

  2. mwhammer (53 months ago | reply)

    quite the goggles, and quite the swimwear....

  3. Wystan (53 months ago | reply)

    William T. Burgess succeeded in swimming the English Channel on September 6, 1911 -- on his sixteenth attempt.

  4. The Library of Congress (53 months ago | reply)

    Wystan:

    Thanks for the information! We've confirmed it, helped by the date in the upper right corner of the negative, 9/19/11, and will update the record.

  5. Branddobbe (50 months ago | reply)

    What an unusual piece of swimwear.

  6. thatoliverguy (49 months ago | reply)

    "No known restrictions on publication"

    So I did this: www.flickr.com/photos/thatoliverguy/253381398 9/

  7. Sherri Calder (aka Typing Tornado) (39 months ago | reply)

    Gee I thought speedos were bad enough.

  8. lisa_goulet (38 months ago | reply)

    oh god ... predecessor to the speedo??

  9. CarolineKaltenreiner (38 months ago | reply)

    i absolutely love this.
    FAV!!!!!!

  10. Philosophographlux (38 months ago | reply)

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Adumbrations of the Sublunary Ethos, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

    --
    Seen on my Flickr home page. (?)

  11. Jeffrey (38 months ago | reply)

    What TypingTornado said.

  12. K a n d y (38 months ago | reply)

    Yeah, I would really have to third what TypingTornado said...LOL

  13. Tommie Ohlson (38 months ago | reply)

    That's so awesome!
    8:|

  14. HazardousHunter (37 months ago | reply)

    This made me smile

  15. El Ojo Sideral ○ (37 months ago | reply)

    que foto tan hermosa

  16. fluffisch (37 months ago | reply)

    great speedo :-)

  17. palosose (37 months ago | reply)

    amazing!

  18. cincoak [deleted] (37 months ago | reply)

    nice ancient thong, and package

  19. fotoshupp (36 months ago | reply)

    hi my friend
    exelent picture
    see you
    im from mexico and you

  20. Dixon Steele (36 months ago | reply)

    I notice channel swimmers always seem to grease themselves. To protect from cold temps. Obviously a mans man from another time.

  21. Frits1942 (36 months ago | reply)

    Great picture! The man for sure doesn't wear a baggy swimming short like the youngsters are wearing today!

  22. saraduzzi (36 months ago | reply)

    perfect!

  23. ArgyllShire (36 months ago | reply)

    Thats where my bandana went!

  24. Sherri Calder (aka Typing Tornado) (36 months ago | reply)

    Hey Argyll - I think you should let him keep it. :p

  25. ArgyllShire (36 months ago | reply)

    @ TT-I totally agree with you! Haha

  26. Amanda.Fernandes [deleted] (36 months ago | reply)

    ugly

  27. writernmt (36 months ago | reply)


    although bandana is funny...at first read I thought it said "banana" which made me laugh out loud. I gotta get my mind outta the gutter.

  28. .ian (35 months ago | reply)

    Can't believe the speedo I bought 100 years later is MORE conservative (though not by much)

  29. walkinginspace pt2...(yawn) (35 months ago | reply)

    In Australia we call swimwear as such "budgie smugglers"....very attractive.............

  30. Michael(DH4OAA) (35 months ago | reply)

    die Hose könnte fast von Tarzan sein....

  31. Rey in Orlando (35 months ago | reply)

    Nice picture. This is a historical picture.

  32. morgan.adrian (35 months ago | reply)

    He is also referred to as Thomas William Burgess, second person to have swum the English Channel. He was born in Rotherham on June 15, 1872, to Alfred, a blacksmith who came originally from Derbyshire, and Camilla Ann (nee Peat)

    www.rotherhamweb.co.uk/h/burgess.htm

    Before his Channel swim, he had taken part in the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris
    www.shorpy.com/node/41

    He also took part in advertising for Nestle's immediately after his triumph, signing an affidavit that he drank no meat extract (Bovril) during his swim, only drinking Nestles Chocolate and some tea with Nestles milk in it.

    The swim took 22 hours and 35 minutes, when he was 39 years old,. He also coached Gertrude Erdele who became the first woman to swim the channel on August 6, 1926, and he also advised Edward Temme (1904-1977), who swam from France to England in 1927 and from England to France in 1934..

    Thomas William Burgess married a French woman, living with her outside Paris, later moving to Cap Gris Nez near Calais, and he died in 1957, aged 85
    www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~westat58/theburges sfamilyo-z.htm

  33. Healed By Art [deleted] (35 months ago | reply)

    nice

  34. Arden (LOC P&P) (35 months ago | reply)

    morgan.adrian: thank you for the additional information on Thomas William Burgess. We will add it to the description when we update the database.

  35. szeszi (35 months ago | reply)

    :D fav*

  36. raqmitch (35 months ago | reply)

    hmmmm [rolling eyes]

  37. « әšнσO¬ [ USA ²º¹¹ ♥] (34 months ago | reply)


    FAV !!!!!

  38. Donald Lee Pardue (34 months ago | reply)

    Wow...that was an exceptional achievement !

  39. SabaPhotography (34 months ago | reply)

    wow.
    that's the most interesting swimsuit i have ever seen?

    :)

  40. Born 2 Be Mild ~ (34 months ago | reply)

    Back when looks did not matter and when It was all about commitment and stamina not Fame and Fortune !!!

  41. ™Mr.Àlmånnã3i (33 months ago | reply)

    nice keep it up ^^......

  42. das auge ! off (33 months ago | reply)

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Wir haben`s schwarz auf weiss ONLY THE BEST IN B&W ART♥ ♥, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

    It looks very modern !

  43. A.N.1 (33 months ago | reply)

    Thank you for sharing it! It is a great photography!
    Seen in:
    B&W ART GROUP

  44. sacacaramelo (31 months ago | reply)

    great photo

  45. ` ŔõсҚєя ЄvіŁ ❤` (31 months ago | reply)

    so nice

  46. ☼大催☼ (31 months ago | reply)

    nice

  47. kellycurtin (29 months ago | reply)

    oh gosh I love this!

  48. Nikola IlIev (29 months ago | reply)

    retro shot....
    good one

  49. grandn'rae (28 months ago | reply)

    very nice

  50. David Cory (28 months ago | reply)

    Added to the gallery, More Oddities From the Commons.

  51. Yörik (27 months ago | reply)

    great document and photo!

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