Who produced the X-ray image called Photo 51 that revealed DNA structure?

The X-ray image called Photo 51 was produced by Raymond Gosling. Gosling was a doctoral student working at King’s College London under the supervision of Rosalind Franklin and Sir John Randall. He took the photograph in May 1952 while conducting X-ray fiber-diffraction studies of DNA.

The image was labeled Photo 51 because it was the 51st diffraction photograph Gosling had taken. Its distinctive X-shaped pattern provided important evidence that DNA had a helical structure, particularly the B-form of DNA.

Rosalind Franklin supervised the work and made major scientific contributions to interpreting DNA’s physical structure, but she did not personally take Photo 51. Maurice Wilkins later showed the image to James Watson, who recognized its significance. Watson and Francis Crick used Photo 51 alongside other experimental evidence to construct their double-helix model.

The original stored answer credits Franklin too broadly. Franklin was central to the research, but the photographer who produced Photo 51 was Raymond Gosling.