[MARIE (SKLODOWSKA) CURIE. (1867-1934).] Polish-born French physicist; discovered, along with her husband, Pierre, the elements radium and polonium. Winner of the 1903 Nobel prize in physics, and the 1911 prize in chemistry. A color bust sketch of Curie drawn in pastel and signed by Swiss artist DAVID BURNAND (1888-1975; “David Burnand”). 1p. Large Folio. N.p., N.d.
Born in Poland where she educated herself in secret, Curie earned a doctorate in Paris a mere six months before winning, with her husband Pierre, the Nobel Prize in physics for their discovery of radiation. It was Marie who coined the term “radioactivity,” and her ongoing research into radioactive elements and their medical applications led her to establishing the Curie Institutes in Paris and Warsaw. With her 1911 Nobel Prize in chemistry, Curie became the first person and only woman to win the prize twice as well as the first of two individuals (Linus Pauling being the other) to win a Nobel Prize in two different areas.
Burnand was a Swiss painter and illustrator; son of prolific painter and portraitist Eugene Burnand.
In lovely condition, with a few minor creases.
