Mandate Magazine, September 1979

Camille Leprince (2023)

Miss Atomic Bomb, 1957 Atomic Test, Yucca Flat, 1953

“The atomic test series was a wonderful thing for Las Vegas in terms of publicity. Not only did we publicize the bomb with photos and anything we could, but all of the national press, international press were here for weeks on end … we had Miss Atomic Bomb, a cheesecake picture of a girl in a bathing suit with cotton in the shape of a mushroom cloud …. what could be more frivolous than that? We just didn’t realize the seriousness of what was going on.” - Don English, Las Vegas News Bureau.

There was no “Miss Atomic Bomb” pageant, no contestants, and no winners or losers. The photo was pure publicity, one of a series of photos by Las Vegas News Bureau aimed at getting the Las Vegas into the national news.

A previous photo captioned “Miss Atomic Blast” (Candyce King) had been a PR success for Bureau photographer Don English in '52. This was followed by “Atomic Ballet” photos, a “Miss Cue,” a “Miss Radiation,” and others.

The model for Miss Atomic Bomb was Anna Lee Mahoney, Sands Copa Girl who used the stage name Lee A. Merlin. Her identity was unknown until 2025.

Miss Atomic Bomb, May 24, 1957. Photo by Don English, Las Vegas News Bureau, LVCVA Archive.

Atomic Test, Yucca Flat, March 17, 1953. Photo by J. R. Eyerman, LIFE Magazine.

Published 1/16/2018, Updated 3/6/2025

demonlover (2002) design by anaïs romand. dir. oliver assayas

[What does having a good time mean to you?] “Reading, going to the seashore, swimming far out, lying on my back and just drifting…”

Happy birthday, Anthony Perkins!! April 4, 1932 – Sept. 12, 1992

Gloria Swanson in Stage Struck (1925) - directed by Allan Dwan

James Dean, Giant (1956) // dir. George Stevens

Diamanda Galás in Insekta, 1993. Photo by Catherine McGann, slight editing by me.