Downstream

In 1882 Beckwith was
being billed as ‘the premier
lady swimmer of the world’
at a farewell benefit at the
Aquarium, before she set off
for a tour of the United States
where the New York Times
commented, ‘unlike most
female performers, Miss
Beckwith is pretty’. She
swam in France and Belgium,
and in 1887 took part in P.T.
Barnum’s Greatest Show on
Earth at Madison Square