Put your gas masks on!

I came across two unusual photographs of gas masks while browsing in the library recently. The first is from 1939 (from the collection Photohistory of the 20th Century). The caption reads:

This bizarre photograph of a scantily clad London chorus girl wearing her gas mask was used as part of the official campaign to take the terror out of wearing gas masks. One of the great British fears at the beginning of World War II was that the country would be attacked from the air, with poison gas. Gas masks -- 38 million of them -- were distributed to all civilians, men, women, children and babies. Government propaganda stressed the importance of becoming familiar with their use.

I doubt the image did much to take the terror out of gas masks, but I'm sure it made the fetish crowd happy.

The second photo is from Scientific American (October, 1922). The caption reads:

This mask enables its wearer to work for half an hour in atmospheres laden with noxious gas.

Coincidentally, this very much resembles the uniform worn by the staff of Weird Universe while we work.
     Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 07, 2008
     Category: Obsessions | Fetishes | Technology





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