Brooklyn's exquisite McCarren Park Pool, built by the Works Progress Administration in 1936 but closed since 1983 (though it hosted some raucous concerts during its empty years) finally reopened on Thursday. One of 11 public swimming pools that opened in New York that summer 76 years ago, it can hold a whopping 6,800 bathers—an outsize swimming hole for an outsize city. In honor of the summer celebration, The Daily Beast has collected vintage photos of more poolside fun in the sun.
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In the 1950s, swim caps (and apparently makeup) were a must for ladies wanting to take a dip.
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The residents of this desert house in Palm Springs were lucky enough to be able to lounge by the pool year-round: this sunny picture was taken in January.
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Rita Moreno, who played Anita in West Side Story, shows off her swimsuit as a fellow swimmer takes note.
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Exhausted from a day's frolicking, actress Mara Lane takes a nap poolside.
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Robert Wagner emerges from a dip at the country club.
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Psycho's shower-scene starlet Janet Leigh shows off her flawless swimming ensemble—with matching purse!
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A family spends a summer evening lounging by the pool.
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This woman was surprised to discover just how supportive her friends were.
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When taking a nap by the pool with no teddy bear in sight, sometimes a beach ball will have to do.
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A simple raft wasn't enough for Pauline Haywood—here, she brings a whole new meaning to the term “water bed.”
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1950s screen star Jane Russell is caught by a camera just as she is about to jump into the water.
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Vacationers catch some rays by the hotel pool.
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