Skip to main content

Search

Donate

Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Timed-Entry Passes
    • Tips & Guidelines
    • Accessibility
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current Exhibitions
      • Upcoming
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions
    • Today's Events
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX Films
  • Explore & Learn
    • Explore Interests
      • Art & Design
      • History & Culture
      • Science & Nature
      • Blogs
      • Mobile Apps
      • Podcasts
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Smithsonian Snapshot
    • For Educators
      • Resources
      • Field Trips
      • Events
      • Professional Development
    • For Kids and Teens
    • Youth Programs
    • For Researchers
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Freer|Sackler Archives
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries and Special Collections
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Citizen Science
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Visitor Information Specialist
      • Docent Programs
    • Fellowships & Internships
    • Work with Us
      • Human Resources
        • Working Here
        • Employee Benefits
        • Job Opportunities
        • How to Apply
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • Contact Us
      • Affiliations
      • Global Partners
  • Support
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Give Monthly
  • About
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Research Centers
    • Cultural Centers
    • Education
    • Our Leadership
      • Secretary Bunch
      • Assistant Secretary for Advancement
      • Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs
      • Under Secretary for Administration
      • Under Secretary for Education
      • Under Secretary for Museums and Culture
      • Under Secretary for Science and Research
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Contact
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
      • Inspector General
        • About the OIG
        • Contact OIG
        • Office of Audits
        • Office of Investigations
        • Reports and Other Publications
        • Report Waste, Fraud, Abuse
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Records Request Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Equal Employment Office
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Special Emphasis Program
        • Supplier Diversity Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Policies and Procedures
          • Additional Resources
          • Goals and Accomplishments
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
        • One Smithsonian
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Rachel Louise Carson

National Portrait Gallery

Addthis Share Tools

    • Print

Object Details

Artist
Alfred Eisenstaedt, 06 Dec 1898 - 25 Aug 1995
Sitter
Rachel Louise Carson, 27 May 1907 - 14 Apr 1964
Exhibition Label
Although it was Rachel Carson's lyricism as a writer that made her books national best sellers, she was always proud of her work as a scientist. In 1936, when she accepted her first full-time job, as a marine biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she was one of only two female professionals at the agency. Alfred Eisenstaedt's 1962 portrait-created for a profile in Life magazine-shows Carson behind a microscope at her Silver Spring, Maryland, home. Earlier that year, Carson had published Silent Spring, an investigation into the harm of man-made pollutants that placed her at the center of a fiery battle between the chemical industry and a growing legion of environmental supporters. Carson's book caught the attention of President John Kennedy, who ordered a further investigation that confirmed her findings and helped pave the way for dramatic changes in the use of pesticides.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
1962
Object number
NPG.2006.79
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 27.7 x 20.5cm (10 7/8 x 8 1/16")
Mat: 45.7 x 35.6cm (18 x 14")
Place
United States\Maryland\Montgomery\Silver Spring
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Interior\Domestic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Desk
Equipment\Laboratory Equipment\Microscope
Rachel Louise Carson: Female
Rachel Louise Carson: Literature\Writer\Scientific
Rachel Louise Carson: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Environmentalist
Rachel Louise Carson: Science and Technology\Scientist\Naturalist
Rachel Louise Carson: Science and Technology\Scientist\Biologist
Rachel Louise Carson: Science and Technology\Scientist\Biologist\Marine Biologist
Rachel Louise Carson: Presidential Medal of Freedom
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2006.79
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm427e5a038-37ce-40e6-898b-266790c22d99

Related Content

  • American Women Writers

  • Earth Day

  • Women in Science

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Employment
  • Host Your Event
  • Access Smithsonian
  • EEO & Supplier Diversity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email signup form

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
Back to Top