นิทรรศการหมุนเวียน : พิพิธภัณฑ์สตางค์ มงคลสุข (Stang Mongkolsuk Museum)

Odile Crick: The Artist Behind the DNA Double Helix Illustration

Odile and Dr. Francis H. C. Crick in 2003, during a dinner in La Jolla, Calif.,
honoring the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA by Dr. Crick and James D. Watson.
(Source : https://www.nytimes.com)

Odile Crick (née Odile Speed) was an English artist and the wife of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Francis Crick. She gained recognition for creating the iconic illustration of the DNA Double Helix, which first appeared in the journal Nature in 1953.

Odile was born in 1920 in King's Lynn, Norfolk, in the east of the United Kingdom. Her mother was French, and her father was an English jeweler. She studied art in Vienna, and in 1938, she returned to England to continue her studies at Central Saint Martins (now part of the University of the Arts London).

She met Francis Crick in 1945, and four years later, they married and settled in Cambridge. They had two daughters, Gabrielle and Jacqueline. Odile also worked as a lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University.

During that time, Francis Crick and his colleague James D. Watson were conducting groundbreaking research on DNA-work that would eventually earn them the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. Francis asked Odile to illustrate the DNA Double Helix to accompany their research paper, which was published in Nature in 1953. It was the first published illustration of the DNA Double Helix in the world.

Odile and Francis Crick with Magdolna Hargittai in the Cricks’ home, 2004, La Jolla.
(Source : https://link.springer.com)

The Discovery of the DNA Double Helix

In addition to Francis Crick and James Watson, two other scientists played a crucial role in this groundbreaking discovery: Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin. They conducted joint experiments to test hypotheses about the DNA model using a technique called X-ray crystallography. By analyzing X-ray film images, they concluded that DNA likely consisted of more than one strand and had a repeating structural pattern. They also suggested that there might be more than one way for the strands to pair.

The research findings of Wilkins and Franklin were later referenced and built upon by Francis Crick and James Watson in their discovery of the DNA Double Helix. Both research papers were published in the same issue of the journal Nature in April 1953.

As a result of this monumental discovery, Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962. Sadly, Rosalind Franklin had passed away in 1958 and was therefore not eligible to receive the prize.

Articles on "Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids" by Watson and Crick (left)
and "Molecular Structure of Deoxypentose Nucleic Acids" by Wilkins (right)
published in Nature (1953)
(Source : https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0 and https://doi.org/10.1038/171738a0)

A Historic Illustration

James D. Watson, Francis Crick’s collaborator, spoke about this historic illustration:

“Francis and I couldn’t draw, but at that moment, we urgently needed to create something that would show the essential parts of the structure we had discovered. In the end, it became a key piece in history that has been rewritten and retold countless times.”

Diagram and sketches of double helix structure of DNA
from notebooks of Francis Crick and James Watson.
(Source : https://www.loc.gov and https://artismortis.com)

Professor Terrence J. Sejnowski, head of the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory and director of the Crick-Jacobs Center at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, described the DNA double helix illustration as:

“It may be the most important scientific drawing of the 20th century and marks the beginning of modern biology. It is a symbol of humanity’s discovery in the study of biology and evolution.”

In 1976, Francis Crick became a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and he and Odile moved to San Diego, California, where they lived for the rest of their lives.

Francis Crick passed away from cancer on July 28, 2004, at the age of 88. Three years later, Odile died on July 5, 2007, at the age of 86. That same year, the Salk Institute held The Odile Crick Memorial Exhibition, showcasing her artwork in her honor

Francis Crick and James Watson.
(Donated by Emeritus Professor Dr. M.R.Jisnuson Svasti)

Nobel Prize Laureates of 1962 : Maurice H. Wilkins (Physiology or Medicine) Max Perutz (Chemistry) Francis Crick (Physiology or Medicine)
John Steinbeck (Literature) James D. Watson (Physiology or Medicine) and John Kendrew (Chemistry).
(Source : https://www.fineartstorehouse.com)

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)
(Source : https://www.cshl.edu)

References

Adam Bernstein. (2007, July 27). Graceful, twisting sketch came to symbolise the achievements of science. Retrieved April 3, 2025

CBC Arts. (2007, July 30). Odile Crick, artist known for her sketch of DNA, dies. Retrieved April 3, 2025

Dennis Hevesi. (2007, July 30). Odile Crick -- created first double-helix rendering. Retrieved April 3, 2025

Mark S. Bretscher FRS and Graeme Mitchison. (2017, May 17). Francis Harry Compton Crick OM. 8 June 1916 - 28 July 2004. Retrieved April 3, 2025

Watson, J., Crick, F. Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid. Nature 171, 737–738 (1953).

Wikipedia contributors. (2025, March 11). Odile Crick. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:01, April 3, 2025

Program booklet for The Odile Crick Memorial Exhibition by the Salk Institute in 2007.
(Source : https://www.amazon.com)

Francis and Odile at their wedding, 1949.
(Source : https://royalsocietypublishing.org)

Family group, 1956. From left: Jacqueline, Odile, Michael, Gabrielle and Francis.
(Source : https://royalsocietypublishing.org)

Francis and Odile in California, 1999.
Source : https://royalsocietypublishing.org)

Francis and Odile, 2003
(Source : https://www.npg.org.uk)

Portrait of Francis Crick, entitled "F. in The Green Door." Pencil on paper by Odile.
(Source : https://www.christies.com)

Gabrielle Crick, David Willetts (Minister of State for Universities and Science, 2010-2014)
and Paul Nurse (Director and Chief Executive of The Francis Crick Institute) with a model of the proposed Francis Crick Institute
(Source : https://www.flickr.com)