Floating Woman

In sticking to yesterday's theme about black and white photos from the 40s, depicting dead, or dead-looking, women, I felt I had to do a post on the photo below too. It depicts a woman floating in the aquarium at Weeki Wachee Spring in Florida. It was taken in 1947 by the photographer Toni Frissell.

The first time I saw it was when I stepped into a shop that sold prints of old photos in Gamla Stan in Stockholm. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it! The girl working in the shop told me she liked it too, but that many customers said they found it scary or disturbing. Except for the sheer beauty and serenity of the picture, I like it because you can't be sure if the woman is dead - possibly by her own choice - or if she's just floating around in the water, enjoying the soft, weightless feeling it gives you if you manage to relax enough to let the water carry you...