In 1941, in Tucson, Roy Drachman photographed two young women in cactus decorated swimsuits. The swimsuits were draped with cactus, and the photographs look like the women are dressed in cactus.
The photographs were a publicity stunt done by the Tucson Sunshine Climate Club. They appeared in Life magazine, April 7, 1941. "Strange are the uses of the desert blooms, opens a new window." (page 57)
The two models wearing the cactus are Merri Ciochetti and Mary Thorbeke (Ericson).
Sources:
"Strange are the uses of the desert blooms." Life. April 7, 1941. Page 57.
Powell, A. Michael. Cacti of the Trans-Pecos & Adjacent Areas. Lubbock, Tex: Texas Tech University Press, c2004: Page 53-54.
Drachman, Roy. This is not a Book: Just Memories, Chapter 2 Early Tucson | Through Our Parents' Eyes: The History and Culture of Tucson | University of Arizona
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