A Day at the Beach

Kiss of Death begins on a sunny day in Wellington’s Oriental Bay in 1918. Our protagonist, Lorna McDougal, can find controversy in even the most benign setting…

Traditional Edwardian bathing costumes with skirts on the left, and a costume in the style of the “Annette Kellerman Original” on the right. The traditional-style costumes were often worn with stockings.

Annette Kellerman and the Bathing Costume Debate

While the war was waging in Europe, Wellington City Councillors were debating appropriate attire for bathers at Wellington beaches. Swim clubs advocated for costumes similar to the “Annette Kellerman”, a style line touted by the Australian athlete and vaudeville star. Its clinging, skirt-less nature horrified the more conservative sectors of society while providing a cause célèbre for our protagonist, Lorna McDougal, to rally behind.

The Physical Culturists

When the strongman, Eugene Sandow, sensationally toured New Zealand in 1902 he created a new trend, and "schools of physical culture” followed in his wake. Both men and women took to gymnasiums in an effort to become “more splendid examples of manhood and womanhood”. The fictional Women’s Society of Physical Culturists are Lorna McDougal’s clients in the opening chapter.

Corsetless Students of the Canterbury School of Physical Culture in 1904

Wellington Magistrates’ Court

Wellington Magistrates’ Court was finished in 1907 and sat on Lambton Quay, the main street in Wellington. With its police court jurisdiction, it was the first destination for all local criminals after their arrest. It was the scene of more than one bathing costume dispute in the 1910s.