When I graduated from school I received a gift of textile books including ‘Novelty Fabrics‘ from the Victoria and Albert museum. A novelty fabric is a ” wittily conceived figurative design and pattern of inanimate objects…an alternative to more traditional florals, geometrics or plains printed on light weight fabric…” It’s an interesting book with 32 colored plates depicting fabric samples from 1924-1946.
‘Surfers’- 1937
‘Pierrot’- 1937
‘Matelot’- 1934
‘Rhapsody’- 1927
(Photos from ‘Novelty Fabrics’ 1988)
Update 4/2014– Check out this printed skirt (below) from Carolina Herrera and the top fabric called ‘Surfers’ c. 1937.
NIBS 
Absolutely love the swimming one! I used to wear caps like that when I was little; oh my.
I love that one too….wish it was available in wallpaper. :)