Over the years , French magazines used to publish a lot about divers. Sometimes, as in Le Petit Journal this was to increase sales of the magazine and sometimes to inform the readers about the newest technology. Helmet Diving was relatively unknown and because of this, pictures of helmet divers underwater made the readers more curious.

One of these magazines was Science et la Vie . These magazines were printed in the first half of the 1900s. Articles which they published explained about new developments in technique, inventions, and the conquest of the Earth's frontiers.

So it comes as no surprise that the development of the helmet diving were published. Sometimes , pictures of helmet divers were used for the cover . The pictures are very detailed; the shape of the helmets, the bolts on the corselet and the proportions of the gear were drawn with accuracy - though sometimes an artist may have made a mistake, as in Science et la Vie 3 .... Take a close look and you will see.

Inside the magazines , 8-10 pages were dedicated to the development of helmet diving, the invention of underwater photography and so on . There were photos and drawings which were used to explain what was going on too. These magazines are great fun to read .

Here are some examples;

Science et la Vie - Printed September 1916 The cover shows a French helmet diver walking over the seabed towards a wreck of a liner, which is apparently hit by a torpedo.

Science et la Vie - Printed November 1917 The cover shows a French helmet diver from behind walking towards an object on the sea floor.

Science et la Vie - Printed January 1923 The cover shows a helmet diver with a curious air inlet system , while he is painting the underwater environment. it also shows an underwater lamp.

Science et la Vie - Printed June 1937 The cover shows an atmospheric diving suit working on a wreck.

{With thanks to Kees de Jonge for Part 2 of this fascinating subject

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• Last edited on 9th May 2006