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Business correspondence, Photographs

Letter from Rosalind Franklin to Donald Caspar, May 19, 1955

  • 1955-May-19

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Envelope, letter, and photographic print sent from Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) to Donald Caspar (1927-2021). Franklin welcomes Caspar's imminent arrival at Birkbeck in September and includes a print of the x-ray diffraction pattern of the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Between 1955–1956 Caspar worked with Franklin at Birkbeck College in London. He remained one of Franklin's closest friends during her lifetime. In 1956 they published individual but complementary papers in Nature, together showing that TMV was a hollow rod, rather than a solid structure as generally believed.

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  • Courtesy of Science History Institute

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Series arrangement
  • Series V: Rosalind E. Franklin papers, 1934-1959 (bulk 1950s)
  • Sub-series 2: Correspondence, 1951-1958
Physical container
  • Box 7, Folder 10

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Franklin, Rosalind. “Letter from Rosalind Franklin to Donald Caspar, May 19, 1955,” May 19, 1955. History of Molecular Biology Collection, Box 7, Folder 10. Science History Institute. Philadelphia. https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/y5ua8gp.

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The Science History Institute recognizes there are materials in our collections that may be offensive or harmful, containing racist, sexist, Eurocentric, ableist, or homophobic language or depictions. The history of science is not exempt from beliefs or practices harmful to traditionally marginalized groups. The Institute is engaged in ongoing efforts to responsibly present and address the evidence of oppression and injustice inextricable from the history of science. If you would like to learn more about our ongoing efforts or if you encounter harmful, inaccurate, or insufficient descriptions, please contact us at digital@sciencehistory.org.