Annette Kellerman

Australian athlete

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June 30, 2026

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Annette Kellerman was a pioneering Australian athlete, swimmer, vaudeville performer, and film star who epitomized the physical culture ideal around the turn of the 20th century. She gained fame for her long-distance swims in rivers like the Thames, Seine, and Danube, and for her attempt to cross the English Channel.1

Kellerman is also credited with popularizing the one-piece bathing suit. Her introduction of this garment at a Boston beach led to her arrest for indecent exposure, but her advocacy ultimately helped liberate women from the cumbersome, multilayered swimwear of the era. Through her films, such as Neptune's Daughter, Kellerman promoted the idea that fitness and physical activity were natural for women.1

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physical culture
Women and athletics
…swimmer, vaudeville, and movie star Annette Kellerman epitomized the physical culture ideal. Beginning about 1905 Kellerman gained publicity for completing long-distance swims down the Thames, Seine, and Danube rivers and for attempting to cross the English Channel. She also introduced the one-piece bathing suit at a beach near Boston. Although…
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…swimmer, vaudeville, and movie star Annette Kellerman epitomized the physical culture ideal. Beginning about 1905 Kellerman gained publicity for completing long-distance swims down the Thames, Seine, and Danube rivers and for attempting to cross the English Channel. She also introduced the one-piece bathing suit at a beach near Boston. Although…
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swimsuit
As early as 1900 Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer, wore a loose, one-piece wool bathing suit that by about 1910 became generally acceptable for the public. A clinging one-piece swimsuit for women was introduced in France after World War I, and other swimsuit accessories were abandoned.
Read More
As early as 1900 Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimmer, wore a loose, one-piece wool bathing suit that by about 1910 became generally acceptable for the public. A clinging one-piece swimsuit for women was introduced in France after World War I, and other swimsuit accessories were abandoned.
Read More