"Fist of God," Operation Ivy Mike, Marshall Islands, 1950s.

gelatin-silver print
paper: Agfa baryta (maker's marks on the reverse)
20.4 x 25.2 cm, framed 47.2 x 57.2 cm
condition: very good, after professional conservation

on the reverse:
"Fist of God"
Marshall Islands, 1952

Spectacular print depicting the historic moment of detonation of the first hydrogen bomb as part of the Ivy Mike test, conducted on November 1, 1952 at Enewetak Atoll. Developed on high-quality Agfa paper in the 1950s, presumably in Europe, this photograph is a rare document of the era, showing a monumental explosion of groundbreaking significance in nuclear history.
The detonation, code-named Ivy Mike, had the power of 10.4 megatons of TNT, which was 500 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. Within seconds, the target of the operation - Eniwetok Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands archipelago - literally disappeared from the face of the Earth.

The print, made using the gelatin-silver method, stands out for its tonal depth and detail, characteristic of vintage photography of the era. This is a unique collector's piece depicting the "atomic mushroom", described on the reverse "Fist of God".