2440/​70

'Father of the Nuclear Bomb'. An original b/w gelatin silver press photograph of the American physicist (Julius) Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967). Shoot from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, February 14, 1946. Back with agency stamp (Acme Newspictures), stamped publisher name (Los Angeles Times), darkroom stamp as well as handwritten numbering in red. Double glazing. Visible size 24.5×19.5 cm. Frame size 36×31 cm.

'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' Quote by Robert Oppenheimer, taken from the Indian Bhagavadgita epos from c. 400 BC. Stated by Oppenheimer after the Trinity Test in the New Mexico dessert on July 16, 1945, the world's first nuclear test. The bomb detonated here was of the same type as the one dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki three weeks later (August 9). The chain smoking Oppenheimer was the scientific main driving force behind the invention.

Condition

This is an original b/w gelatin-silver press photograph from 1946, which has yellowed severely. Furthermore two creased corners, minor spots as well as general signs of handling.

Auction

Paintings, furniture and varia, 30 September 2024

Category
Estimate

3,000 DKK

Sold

Price realised

2,600 DKK  

9 bids

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