Atomic Bomb Test Sequence, Operation Upshot-Knothole, Nevada Proving Ground, #4

March 17, 1953

American 20th Century

Associated Names
American 20th Century

Artist

Associated Press

Publisher

The image shows blurred shapes and lines swirling across a cloudy background, creating movement and chaos. The abstract composition includes elongated and angular forms resembling shattered glass or wooden splinters scattered on a rough, textured surface. The soft and fragmented elements in the image may conjure debris floating in the aftermath of an event, evoking scenes of turbulence and disorder.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon

  • Dimensions

    image/sheet: 11.2 × 13 cm (4 7/16 × 5 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.137.4

Associated Artworks

See all 4 artworks

[[PLACEHOLDER ARTWORK]]

The image is a black and white photograph of a two-story house with closed shutters. Low, rolling hills are visible in the background. A second house is seen in the middle distance to the right. The terrain includes sparse desert vegetation and low grasses. A truck is parked to the right of the closer house, and a figure is visible next to it.

Atomic Bomb Test Sequence, Operation Upshot-Knothole, Nevada Proving Ground, #1

American 20th Century, International News Photos, Inc.

1953

The image shows a black and white view of a house. The perspective is slightly elevated, looking diagonally at the structure. The side wall of the house is in sharp focus, displaying rectangular windows and a chimney casting a shadow. Foliage partially obscures the left side of the house. The land stretches flat towards the horizon, where mountain outlines are faintly visible. The image has a grainy, slightly blurred vintage look. The monochrome color palette enhances the starkness and textures of the terrain and building. The night sky above is dark with faint stars or points of light.

Atomic Bomb Test Sequence, Operation Upshot-Knothole, Nevada Proving Ground, #2

American 20th Century

1953

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mary and Dan Solomon, Monarch Beach, CA; gift to NGA, 2015.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2016

  • Intersections: Photographs and Videos from the National Gallery of Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2016 - 2017, unnumbered catalogue.

Inscriptions

on verso, top center printed in black ink on applied newspaper: 2 1/3 Seconds Home is Blown to Splinters / AP Wirephoto / A SHIELDED camera, 60 feet away, recorded the destruct- / tion of a civil defense test house at Tuesday’s atomic / tests in Nevada. Taking 24 pictures a second, the camera / revealed that the $20,000 home—which was 3,500 feet from / the center of the atomic explosion—was shattered in 2 1/3 / seconds. The only source of light was from the bomb blast. / Dummies in a basement shelter of the house apparently / were unhurt, and a second house, 7,500 feet away, sustained / only minor damage.; by unknown hand, lower center in pink ink: Atom Bomb Test – Nevada – 1953; lower right stamped in red ink perpendicular: [illegible] / 4th E[illegible] / MAR 20 1953; bottom left Associated Press copyright stamp in black ink

Wikidata ID

Q64144791

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