Breaking Boundaries with Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand

Smelling salts, please.

On September 23, 1912, when Mack Sennett’s groundbreaking Keystone comedy, “The Water Nymph” was released, Mabel Normand became the first in a verrrrrrry long line of actresses to appear on-screen wearing a bathing suit. In addition to (or because of) Mabel walking around half-naked (by early 1900s standards anyway), Sennett promoted the film using Normand’s name and likeness, which was a Very…