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Spectacular semi-glossy 11 x 8.5 photo of the Trinity nuclear test, taken 0.053 seconds after detonation, signed in the lower margin in black felt tip, "N. E. Bradbury," and in blue felt tip, "R. F. Bacher." This is an original vintage Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory print, stamped on the reverse: "Photographed by Berlyn Brixner, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory," and "Los Alamos Photographic Laboratory." In fine condition, with some creasing in the wide top border.
Norris E. Bradbury (1909–1997) was an American physicist who served as Oppenheimer's hand-picked successor as director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1945 to 1970; he was in charge of the final assembly of 'the Gadget,' detonated in the 'Trinity' test of July 16, 1945, as the first-ever detonation of a nuclear weapon.
Robert Fox Bacher (1905–2004) was a nuclear physicist and a leader of the Manhattan Project. Recruited personally by Oppenheimer, it was at Bacher's insistence that Los Alamos became a civilian rather than a military laboratory. At Los Alamos, Bacher headed the project's P (Physics) Division, and later its G (Gadget) Division.
Berlyn Brixner (1911–2009) was the head photographer for the 'Trinity' test, the first-ever detonation of a nuclear weapon, on July 16, 1945. Positioned 10,000 yards away from the explosion, he utilized fifty 16mm high-speed cameras at varying film speeds and locations to capture the blast in full motion. His efforts produced over 100,000 images, documenting in detail the raw power of nuclear weaponry and visually marking the dawn of the Atomic Age.
