37 Rare Color Photos of Young Japanese Girls Posing in Bathing Suits From the Early 20th Century

When you think Geisha girl you instantly think Kimono, china doll make-up, chopsticks in the hair and impractical platform shoes. But these retouched 19th century photos taken during Japan's Meiji and Taisho eras counter the general assumption that geishas only wore traditional dress.

Taken between 1868 to 1912, the pictures present the Geishas as bathing beauties modeling swimwear by the sea. For most of them, the identity of the photographers and models remain unknown - a situation common to all categories of old Japanese postcards.