One of the most iconic images of the early days of Las Vegas is of a showgirl wearing a white mushroom cloud swimsuit with her arms reaching into the sky in a pose of jubilation. The photo – and the girl in it – was flaunting the nuclear test explosions in the nearby desert that took place back in the 1950s that became somewhat of a tourist attraction.
For years, the model’s identity has remained a mystery but now historian and founding Atomic Museum member Robert Friedrichs has revealed her name: Anna Lee Mahoney of the Bronx, New York.
The image, captured by Las Vegas News Bureau photographer Don English and released on May 24, 1957, coincided with Operation Plumbbob at the Nevada Test Site. English’s team crafted a cotton mushroom cloud and attached it to the front of the showgirl’s swimsuit, transforming her into “Miss Atomic Bomb.”
To honor this discovery, the Atomic Museum will display a temporary exhibit dedicated to Friedrich’s more than two-decade search and ultimate discovery of the iconic figure’s real identity, as well as the image’s evolution through the years. Organized in collaboration with the Las Vegas Archives—which today maintains the Las Vegas News Bureau’s collection in conjunction with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority—the exhibit is planned for a summer 2025 debut.
“‘Miss Atomic Bomb’ captured the imagination of a generation and became a global symbol of the Atomic Age,” said Friedrichs. “To now put a name and story to her face is a tribute to the enduring cultural legacy of that extraordinary time in history.”
Kelli Luchs, archivist, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Archive, said, “we have 7.5 million images in the LVCVA Archive, and the ‘Miss Atomic Bomb’ photo is one of the most requested images that we have” in the archive.
The photograph symbolizes a distinctive convergence of Cold War culture, science and the burgeoning entertainment industry of Las Vegas. Recognized in hundreds of publications worldwide, the photo helped cement Las Vegas as a cultural epicenter of the Atomic Age.
“Las Vegas played a vibrant and unique role in the Atomic Age, and ‘Miss Atomic Bomb’ has always been a symbol of that era’s colorful history,” added Joseph Kent, deputy director and curator, Atomic Museum. “Thanks to Robert Friedrichs’ tireless dedication, we now have the opportunity to connect her story to the history we preserve at the Atomic Museum.”
Although the subject of the photograph was long identified as Lee A. Merlin, her true identity has long been shrouded in mystery. Through the assistance of a professional detective agency, Friedrichs uncovered conclusive evidence linking two names to a single social security number. This evidence, supported by birth records and communication with a living relative, revealed that Lee A. Merlin was actually a stage name for Mahoney.
Mahoney, born Aug. 14, 1927, in the Bronx, New York, trained in ballet and modern dance under Madame Bronislava Nijinska in Los Angeles before performing in various shows and musicals under the stage name Lee Merlin. By 1957, she performed as lead dancer at the Sands Hotel Copa showroom in Las Vegas, where she participated in the now-iconic Las Vegas News Bureau photoshoot. In 1962, she married and later moved to Hawaii, where she worked as a mental health counselor. In the late 1990s, she relocated to Santa Cruz, California, and worked for the Cabrillo College Foundation, raising funds for student scholarships. She passed away in 2001 after battling cancer.
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