LEYDENFROST, Alexander (1888-1961). H-Bomb Test at Bikini. c. 1946

Charcoal and gouache illustration of an immense mushroom cloud in the immediate aftermath of a nuclear test on Bikini Atoll, signed by Leydenfrost at bottom left. Visible area 27 × 21 in. Frame: 35 × 28 1/2 in. (unexamined out of frame).

Alexander Leydenfrost was a Hungarian-American industrial designer and illustrator whose artwork during the Second World War brought the immediacy and drama of the conflict into the homes of millions of Americans. Following the Second World War the Bikini Atoll islands were chosen by the Americans as the ideal testing site for its growing arsenal of nuclear weapons. In July 1946 it became the site of the fourth nuclear explosion in history and continued to be used as a testing site until 1958, when the long-term harmful effects became more apparent.

This lot is located in Chicago.