Photograph by Clifton R. Adams, National Geographic Creative

Vintage Florida: St. Petersburg

July 07, 2015

Sunscreen? What’s that?

These 1929 barefoot beach lovers, a pick from the National Geographic Society archives, smile at an old-school tanning booth (or solarium) in St. Petersburg, Florida, taking full advantage of the Sunshine State’s most abundant natural resource.

As if the ladies needed any help. The Gulf Coast city boasts an average of some 361 days of sunshine each year, earning it the nickname of “The Sunshine City.” To be sure, St. Petersburg’s Guinness World Record for logging the most consecutive days of sunshine (768, between February 1967 and March 1969) has yet to be beaten.

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