DNA’s Death Notice

See original manuscripts, letters, photos, and jokes from luminaries like Rosalind Franklin, Aaron Klug, and Linus Pauling

By Bob Grant

4:50 AM CDT on September 15, 2025

Add Nautilus to Google

Photographic print of a DNA X-ray diffraction pattern known as Photograph 51 with annotations by Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) and Aaron Klug (1926-2018). Courtesy of Science History Institute.

Imagine being able to see what Rosalind Franklin saw, when she and a graduate student first imaged the structure of DNA—and then study the intimate handwritten notes on the back of it.

Featured Video

Now, in fact, you can. A trove of landmark historical science images and artifacts (which also include notebooks, handwritten annotations, and even an inside joke or two), have recently joined the collection of the Science History Institute, a Philadelphia-based museum and library, which is working on making them widely available to the public.

DNA'S FIRST CLOSE-UP: This historic DNA X-ray diffraction pattern, known as "Photograph 51," was generated in 1952 by Rosalind Franklin and her grad student Raymond Gosling at King's College London. Annotations by Franklin and her colleague Aaron Klug grace the back of the image, which finally resolved the long standing question of DNA's structure, the double-helix. Image courtesy of the Science History Institute. — **DNA'S FIRST CLOSE-UP:** This historic DNA X-ray diffraction pattern, known as "Photograph 51," was generated in 1952 by Rosalind Franklin and her grad student Raymond Gosling at King's College London. Annotations by Franklin and her colleague Aaron Klug grace the back of the image, which finally resolved the long standing question of DNA's structure, the double-helix. *Image courtesy of the Science History Institute.*

The crown jewel of the collection so far is, of course, the image produced in 1952 by X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin and her grad student Raymond Gosling showing the double-helical structure of a DNA molecule. The “Photo 51” image, which was Franklin’s own personal copy and is annotated with handwritten notes on the back, will be the centerpiece of a new exhibition at the Science History Institute museum planned for fall 2027, which will mark the 75^th anniversary of “Photo 51.”

The newly acquired collection features laboratory devices used by Franklin and Gosling in their seminal research, as well as letters, photographs, and other materials from the pair and from other notable molecular biologists of the era. You can also find pictures of Franklin on vacation and even a death notice, written in jest, for DNA’s helix structure (a delightful reminder that even Nobel-worthy scientists like to have a bit of fun here and there).

VACAY BEFORE BREAKTHROUGH: This vacation shot of Franklin was taken by her friend and collaborator in 1950, two years before she created “Photograph 51.” Photo by Vittorio Luzzati, courtesy of the Science History Institute. — **VACAY BEFORE BREAKTHROUGH:** This vacation shot of Franklin was taken by her friend and collaborator in 1950, two years before she created "Photograph 51." *Photo by Vittorio Luzzati, courtesy of the Science History Institute.*

“We see this as a seed collection that will inspire further growth as we preserve the history of the life sciences for a global audience,” David Cole, president and CEO of the Science History Institute, said in a statement. The History of Molecular Biology Collection was recently acquired from the J. Craig Venter Institute, and staffers at the Science History Institute are at work digitizing the materials it contains, providing free access through their website.

In the meantime, there are more than 140 items already available to peruse and glimpse the inner workings of the people who coaxed revolutionary insights from the hidden worlds that surround us.