Portrait of Rosalyn Yalow

Object Details

Exhibition Label:

When physicist Rosalyn Yalow took a job in 1947 at the Bronx Veterans Administration Hospital to explore the potential of radioisotopes in diagnosing and treating illnesses, her first lab was a converted janitor’s closet, and she had to improvise some of her equipment. From that unpromising beginning came pathbreaking results. By the early 1950s, she was working in partnership with Dr. Solomon Berson, and out of their investigations came RIA (radioimmunoassay), a procedure that proved invaluable in diagnosing and determining treatment for a wide range of diseases. In recognition of that achievement, Yalow became the first woman to win the prestigious Albert Lasker Prize for Basic Medical Research in 1976, and a year later she was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine.

Yalow’s portrait was part of series of images by photographer Arthur Leipzig depicting Jewish women—both famous and anonymous—from around the world.

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Restrictions & Rights:

© Estate of Arthur Leipzig

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Date:

1987

Object number:

NPG.99.51

Artist:

Arthur Leipzig, 25 Oct 1918 - 5 Dec 2014

Sitter:

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow, 19 Jul 1921 - 30 May 2011

Topic:

Interior\Laboratory

Equipment\Laboratory Equipment

Equipment\Laboratory Equipment\Lab Coat

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow: Female

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow: Education\Educator\Professor

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow: Science and Technology\Scientist\Physicist

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow: Nobel Prize

Portrait

Medium:

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions:

Image: 22.1 x 33 cm (8 11/16 x 13")

Sheet: 27.8 x 34.8 cm (10 15/16 x 13 11/16")

Mat: 55.9 x 71.1 cm (22 x 28")

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

Type:

Photograph