Two Woman Posing for a Boardwalk Souvenir, Atlantic City, N.J.

The clothes do look like they'd be awful in the water, even with elbows exposed! I wondered, too, whether these were actually swimsuits but couldn't find anything definitive regarding Victorian and Edwardian swimwear. In a Google search, I did come across some images, however, that seemed to show women frolicking in the surf in similarly restrictive garb.