..January 2018.. ..New York..
I recently found out that Lilli Hornig passed away on November 17th, 2017. She was a Manhattan Project scientist who worked on the atomic bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki.
I photographed her in 2014 when she was already frail. We had a long conversation about the development of the “Fat Man” atomic bomb and her discussion to sign a letter urging the US government not to drop the bomb on a populated area. The petition made no difference in the US government’s decision.
The other fascinating part of our discussion was her interaction with fellow Manhattan Project colleague Klaus Fuchs, who was later discovered as a Soviet spy who relayed vital information about US nuclear program.
Below is the portrait I took of Lilli at her home in Rhode Island.
