For the past year we have been digitizing documents from the James D. Watson and Sydney Brenner Collections as part of the Wellcome Library's "Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics" project. This includes all types of documents: letters, postcards, handwritten manuscripts, laboratory data, and even Watson's day calendars. But the images I was most interested in come from Watson's extensive photograph collection.
The photos document Watson's entire life, from his infancy to his 80s. In fact, they go back even further -- the portrait above is of his father, James D. Watson, Sr., and was taken in 1897. Take a closer look at the photograph and you will notice that little Jimmy is not seated on a chair, but is actually on his mother's lap! Taking portraits was a much lengthier procedure in the 19th century, so mothers often hid beneath a sheet to comfort their children and keep them still throughout the photo session. The result is a slightly unsettling image of an infant held by a cloaked specter (known as "ghost mothers").
For more early images from the Watson Collection check out our Flickr page where we will be providing a preview of the photographs digitized as part of "Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics" project.
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