A Signed Photograph of the Mushroom Cloud

Taken just minutes after detonation, this photograph shows the massive atomic bomb cloud, towering tens of thousands of feet in the air. The cloud was formed from vaporised buildings, earth, and human bodies. Beneath it, Hiroshima was almost completely incinerated, with temperatures at ground zero reaching over 4,000°C (7,200°F). An estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people died instantly, with the death toll rising in the following months and years due to radiation exposure.

This image became one of the most iconic visual records of the atomic bombings and was used extensively in U.S. military and historical documentation.

The photograph is signed by three key figures from the mission:

• Paul Tibbets (in blue ink): the pilot of the "Enola Gay," the B-29 bomber that dropped the bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima.
• Charles W. Sweeney (also in blue ink): the pilot of "Bockscar," the B-29 bomber that dropped the bomb "Fat Man" on Nagasaki, Japan  (August 9th, 1945). Also piloted "The Great Artiste," an observation plane, during the Hiroshima mission.
• George W. Marquardt (in black ink): the pilot of "Necessary Evil," which documented the explosion.
  
  

The mushroom cloud over Nagasaki, Japan, bombed August 9th, 1945, three days after Hiroshima

These signatures not only authenticate the image, but also remind us of those who were tasked with dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.