Whether to collect seaweed, enjoy an ocean breeze, or cool off with a swim, East Hampton residents have long flocked to the shore during the summer. But these visits have looked different throughout time and cultures.
This East Hampton Star archive snapshot of Frederica Gallatin (1913-2003) on the beach at the Maidstone Club depicts what a beach day in the 1930s would look like for young women in the summer colony. Clad in an all-white outfit and high heels, she was also likely wearing stockings. Many of us could not fathom wearing all of that clothing on a sunny, humid day, but Frederica's outfit was carefully curated to ensure that she was presentable and looked fashionable.
Frederica was a grandniece of Frederic Gallatin (1841-1927), an early member of the summer colony who helped fund the Neighborhood House and deeded land to the Town of East Hampton for Maidstone Park. Although Frederic's house no longer exists, his brother, Frederica's grandfather, James Gallatin (1846-1890), had a "summer cottage" built on Pudding Hill Road that still stands today. Frederica's family traced their wealth and status to her great-grandfather Albert Gallatin (1761-1849), an early U.S. secretary of the treasury.
The family's status automatically entered Frederica in East Hampton's summer society, which included her friends Isabel Gardiner (1912-2003) and Judith Hamlin (1909-1991). Frederica's official debut into society came in 1930, and she is noted in The Star as attending dinner parties held by her friends both in East Hampton and New York City.
In 1933, Frederica married Albert Donahue (1902-1983), a Massachusetts native, orchestra leader, and band booking agent during the height of big bands. After her marriage, Frederica did not appear in The Star as frequently, likely because of her husband's career, which took the couple around the world.
Megan Bardis is a librarian and archivist in the Long Island Collection.
