Rachel Louise Carson

Object Details

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.

1962

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")

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

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm427e5a038-37ce-40e6-898b-266790c22d99