In this image a woman is serenaded by a
man playing the guitar as a huge fish swims into view. Her ruffled
swimming cap and white bathing suit are typical of Fifties fashion
A
collection of black and white photographs from the 1950s show pin-ups
doing a whole host of everyday scenarios, except they are several metres
underwater.
The
images, shot by Bruce Mozert from Ohio, show glamorous models talking
on the telephone, reading the newspaper and even moving the lawn - in
this case an overgrown seabed.
The
photographer, who was born in 1916, was one of the leading pioneers of
underwater photography and was renowned for his innovative work in
lifestyle magazines.
This model's red
lipstick and pinned blonde hair look immaculate despite the sub-aquatic
conditions as she speaks on the telephone
This woman reads the newspaper in huge oversized shades and manages a huge smile, despite holding her breath
He
is thought to have constructed the first underwater camera case, which
he took to Hollywood, and had plenty of other tricks up his sleeve
- including using baking powder to create powdery 'smoke' for his
underwater barbecue scene.
However
nobody knows how he persuaded his subjects to hold their breath for
long enough to capture the beautiful sub-aquatic scenes. Mozert himself
wore a bulky and rudimentary scuba suit to allow him to breathe
underwater.
Mozert
was born in Ohio and moved to New York to become a photographer at a
young age. In 1938, while en route to Miami, he stopped at the Florida
state park Silver Springs where a Tarzan movie was being filmed.
He
quickly realised there was no way to take underwater pictures except
for a small tank which held one cameraman. So he built his own
waterproof camera case, thought to be the first of its kind.
It
allowed him to go deep below the surface of the springs in the
incredibly clear waters and capture these domestic scenes, with a
playful twist.
In
one photograph a model appears to apply sun cream as she reclines on a
sun lounger. In another a woman leaps over a hurdle as a man cheers in
support. Others show the women, who are dressed in vintage-style bathing
costumes or play suits, engaging in a game of archery or crazy golf.
Their
hair remains beautifully coiffed despite the conditions, sometimes
pinned and styled in loose curls. Similarly they appear to be wearing a
full face of makeup, including red lipstick - synonymous with the era.
Mozert's
pictures came out so well that he took his invention to Hollywood,
where he continued to develop his ideas - including the first high-speed
camera case and first underwater lighting.
His images have been in Life, Look, Pic, National Geographic and he is still active in his studio in Silver Springs.
Several
of Mozert's photos are currently on display in Let the Good Times Roll,
an exhibition in the Holden Luntz Gallery in Palm Beach, Florida, until
September 26.
This man appears to mow the underwater sea bed as 'his wife' trims the seaweed with her garden shears
A woman reads the newspaper with her stool tipped back and another woman appears to take her own photograph with a tripod
Photographer Bruce Mozert had plenty
of tricks up his sleeve - including using baking powder to create
powdery 'smoke' for his underwater barbecue scene
This woman leaps over a wooden hurdle on the sandy seabed as a man cheers her on encouragingly
This woman appears to sell magazines from a newsstand from the depths of the Springs
Even archery is possible, and incredibly glamorous, in this sub-aquatic shot
This woman appears to be in a celebratory mood with a glass of something sparkly, a hat and a party horn
hmmmmm amazing.....
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