Wyllie O Hagan

Clare and Denise, during the making of Transformations in Science and Art, were introduced to the work of the scientist Rosalind Franklin, who made the first clear X-Ray image of the structure of DNA.

Rosalind Franklin’s work is the most controversial work of any female scientist that has ever lived. Her work in the famous photo 51 shows the mysterious "X" shape that inspired Crick, and Watson to visualize the double helix structure of DNA.

She was able to get this remarkable image -- the clearest image of DNA ever created up until that time -- with her advanced techniques of X-ray diffraction.

Photo 51
Reprinted by permission from Nature,
Volume 171: 740-41
© 1953 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Using Franklin's image as physical evidence, without her knowledge or consent, Crick, and Watson then went on to publish their Nobel Prize-winning theoretical structure of DNA in Nature in 1953.

The artists have incorporated photo 51 into their work naming it "A vision of Rosalind". The integration of her vision into Transformations in Science and Art is a tribute to and recognition of her work, by the artists.

The image is seen in prints A Vision of Rosalind I to IV.

She wrote: "In my view, all that is necessary for faith is the belief that by doing our best we shall succeed in our aims: the improvement of mankind."

Rosalind Franklin died at the age of 37 from ovarian cancer.

To read more on Rosalind’s work on Photo 51 go to: -
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/photo51/

To read more about Rosalind Franklin follow these links: -
http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/millhillessays/2002/franklin.htm

The essay is the copyright of NIMR-National Institute of Medical Research

More background on Rosalind’s story can be found at: -
http:/www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/photo51/elkin.html

An other link for Rosalind’s story is:-
http://www.lifeindiscovery.org/

To learn more about Science before Crick, Watson, and Wilkins follow
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/photo51/before.html