Considered one of the most visually dramatic helmets ever made, this very rare, early Style 2 Miller-Dunn Divinhood Shallow Water Dive Helmet was made circa 1925. The visual appeal comes from the two large pieces of angled glass making up the face plate covered by protective brass bars bolted to the helmet. The face plate was much larger and offered more viewing area than the earlier Style 1 DIVINHOODs. The Miller-Dunn DIVINHOOD Style 2 was the US Navy's first official shallow water diving apparatus, and was part of standard ship's gear on many naval vessels prior to WWII.
Miller-Dunn was founded by William S. Dunn and William F. Miller in Miami, Florida around 1914 with an emphasis on shallow water diving using helmets and simple equipment that did not require exhaustive training.
The brass plaque on the right side reads, "DIVINHOOD Style 2, Navy Standard, U.S. 1195793 - 1595908 and Foreign Patents, Miller-Dunn Co., Miami, FLA".
The helmet is in very good condition for a helmet of this age that clearly saw use and it has an excellent nice patina. These helmets are among the most desired by collectors of historic diving gear and nautical antiques.
