Studebaker at Oak Ridge Lab Parking

Shot by Andreas Feininger using a Linhof Technika 4x5 with 150mm Symmar lens. Elevated slight downward angle. Distance: 25 feet from subject. A navy blue Studebaker Commander State sedan sits in the restricted parking area of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, surrounded by identical government buildings of utilitarian design. Scientists in short-sleeve white shirts with narrow ties and plastic pocket protectors move between structures carrying manila folders stamped "Classified." Military police in crisp uniforms stand guard at checkpoints while a convoy of olive-drab trucks passes through the main gates. The Studebaker's distinctive bullet nose and wraparound rear window make it stand out among the more conventional Fords and Chevrolets favored by government employees. Through the Commander's windows, slide rules and mechanical calculators are visible on the passenger seat. The parking lot sits in the shadow of massive cooling towers, their concrete shells looming over the secretive facility where America's atomic age advances behind secure perimeters. Women in modest skirts and blouses carrying stenographer pads hurry between administrative buildings as the laboratory's cafeteria begins serving lunch to the hundreds of scientists and support staff advancing nuclear science in this purpose-built city that officially doesn't exist on any public maps.