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I was reading Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, about Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, renowned nineteenth century fossil-finders / palaentologists from Lyme Regis.
There is a scene where Elizabeth's younger sister, Margaret, uses a bathing machine to swim in the ocean.
"The bathing machine, a little closet on a cart, had been pulled far out into the water to give her privacy, and Margaret swam with it between her and the shore, preserving her modesty. Once or twice we caught a glimpse of an arm or a plume of water as she kicked." (page 48)
That got me wondering about any other references to these modesty-preserving contraptions, and their history. There's a pretty good write-up in Wikipedia.
Above: Mermaids at Brighton swim behind their bathing machines in this engraving by William Heath, c. 1829.
Queen Victoria used a bathing machine at Osborne Beach on the Isle of Wight, where it can be viewed.
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