The bones of a hand with a ring on one finger, viewed through x-ray. Photoprint from radiograph by W.K. Röntgen, 1895.

The hand is possibly the hand of Röntgen's wife, photographed on 22nd December 1895

The print is from one of the first radiographs (x-ray photographs) made by the German physicist, Wilhelm Konrad Röntgen (1845-1923). Röntgen discovered the electro-magnetic rays he named "x-rays" (also known as "Röntgen rays") in Würzburg in November 1895. Röntgen mailed this and other prints to, among others, the British physicist Sir Arthur Schuster, along with an offprint of his article "Über eine neue Art von Strahlen" (1895). Dr Nora H. Schuster, Sir Arthur's daughter, presented the prints to the Wellcome Institute Library in 1962

1895

1 photograph : photoprint from radiograph, albumen ; sheet 18.1 x 13 cm

Hand mit Ringen The lettering is written in Röntgen's hand in black ink on the mount. The mount also bears the stamp: "Physik. Institut der Universität Würzburg"

Wellcome Collection 32971i