191

Photograph album of Operation Greenhouse in the Marshall Islands, which tested the first hydrogen bombs.

Hollywood, CA: United States Air Force Lookout Mt. Laboratory, [1951]
90 photographs (each about 8½ x 6½ inches or smaller, 6 of them in color) mounted on 35 album leaves, plus detached printed title page reading "Photo Album, Operation Greenhouse." 4to, 14 x 12 inches, original cloth ring binder embossed "Operation Greenhouse" with officer's name; one photo detached, moderate foxing to color photos, last leaf worn and discolored. 

  • Notes: Operation Greenhouse was the first series of tests of thermonuclear weapons, far more powerful than the atomic bombs which preceded them. The four tests were performed in April and May 1951 on uninhabited islets in the Enewetak Atoll of the Marshall Islands (then a United States territory).

    The photographs in this album are not captioned, but many are self-explanatory. The first shows the high tower upon which the bomb was mounted to simulate an aerial blast. Several portraits of officers begin with the task force's commander General Elwood Richard Quesada. The construction of the testing facilities is well documented. Two shots show groups of islanders; one shows a performance by an impromptu military jazz band. The last 9 photographs depict the actual blast: 3 in black and white, and the last 6 in color. Two show lightning emanating from the blast cloud. It is unclear which of the four tests is depicted in these blast photos.

    Although the printed title page suggests that more than one of these albums was produced, we can find only one other anywhere: a Swann auction, 27 June 2024, lot 214, issued to a different naval officer. The selection of photographs in this album is slightly different, and this one does not have "Official Use Only" stamped on the title page. 

    Provenance: issued to George S. Whitman, whose name is embossed on the cover. 
  • Condition:
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    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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November 20, 2025 10:30 AM EST
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