1940s Gallery

Dali Atomicus (1948)

Dali Atomicus (1948). This photographic artwork by Latvian-born US photographer Philippe Halsman (1906-1979) shows Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali (1904-1989) in mid-air, with suspended objects, cats and water caught in surreal motion. At right is Dali's work Leda Atomica (1949). This is the unretouched version of Halsman's work, with an assistant (left) and strings (right) still visible. The scene was attempted 28 times before Halsman achieved the desired effect. Halsman and Dali collaborated on a number of works, of which this is the most famous

© LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Blitz in Plymouth -- St Andrews Parish Church, WW2

Blitz in Plymouth -- the smouldering remains of St Andrew's Parish Church, bombed and badly damaged in March 1941. The church was restored, and reconsecrated in November 1957

© London Fire Brigade / Mary Evans Picture Library

1940s, 1941, 2nd, 40s, Andrew, Andrews, Arch, Atmospheric, Blitz, Bomb, Bombed, Bombing, Brigade, Building, Buildings, Church, Damaged, Debris, Fire, Firefighter, Firefighters, Firefighting, Firemen, Forties, Gothic, Hose, Hosepipe, Ii, Lfb, Man, March, Parish, Plymouth, Remains, Rubble, Service, Smoke, Smoky, Smouldering, St, War, Wartime, World, Ww2, Wwii

Mass spectrometer, 1954

Mass spectrometer. Researchers adjusting the controls of a mass spectrometer. This is an all-metal demountable mass spectrometer. Mass spectroscopy is the use of strong magnetic and electric fields to ionise samples and separate them by mass and charge. This allows the chemical composition of the samples to be identified. Photographed in 1949, in the Physics Division of the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, UK

© NATIONAL PHYSICAL LABORATORY CROWN COPYRIGHT/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY