Penicillin mold, from the series Photo-illustrations from the Physical Science Study Committee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other scientific studies

Long fascinated by the science of photography and photography’s ability to convey all manner of science, Berenice Abbott sought to harness the two disciplines and produce work with practical and popular appeal. Though she continually lacked the necessary support to pursue scientific photography, Abbott was able to develop what she named a “super-sight camera.” It projected an object at a large scale on photosensitive paper and allowed for the creation of fine-grained and clear images. Using this camera, she photographed penicillin mold up close, just as it was beginning to be mass-produced for pharmaceutical purposes. Abbott served as photographer for the Physical Science Committee at MIT and photography editor of Scientific American. She is also renowned for her portraiture and her earlier city photography, including her landmark volume Changing New York (1939).