Janet Davison Rowley was the woman behind incredible breakthroughs in cancer research right here in Chicago. This print was made as part of Blackbird Letterpress’ Inspiring Women portfolio, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment in 2020.

The card reads: The research of Dr. Janet Davison Rowley (1925-2013) established cancer as a disease of acquired genetic changes. In the 70’s, she photographed the chromosomes of leukemia patients, arranged the photos in pairs (‘paper dolls,’ according to her children) and recognized that certain pairs traded sections–a process known as translocation–in different types of leukemia. Her groundbreaking discovery, dismissed by experts for years, established the basis of modern oncology and has led to life-saving, individualized cancer treatments.

A handful of prints outside of the initial edition remain. They measure 7x5” and are printed in two colors on French paper white card stock. Ships flat.