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Secondary sourcePhotograph3 November 1965

Unveiling of Mendel Monument at Mendelcollege Haarlem

Joop van Bilsen · 3 November 1965

A 1965 press photograph showing the unveiling of a sculpture honouring Mendel's heredity work at a Dutch school named after him.

Shows a 1965 ceremony commemorating Mendel's discoveries, long after his death, through a monument at a school named for him.

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Black-and-white photograph of the outdoor unveiling of a bronze abstract sculpture on a concrete plinth inscribed 'G. MENDEL 1865' and 'H. DE VRIES'. A man in a dark coat stands at a microphone; a robed figure and a man in a long coat stand beside the sculpture, with a group of onlookers and a brick school building behind.
Joop van Bilsen for Anefo, unveiling of Mendel monument, Mendelcollege Haarlem, 3 November 1965. Nationaal Archief.

About this source

What it is

This black-and-white press photograph, taken by Joop van Bilsen for the Anefo agency, shows the unveiling of a monument on the grounds of the Mendelcollege in Haarlem on 3 November 1965. The abstract bronze sculpture, mounted on a plinth inscribed with Mendel's name, represents the science of heredity. It was unveiled by geneticist professor J. Heimans.

Why it matters

The photograph shows how, nearly a century after his experiments, Gregor Mendel's work on inheritance was still being celebrated — here by naming a school after him and erecting a monument. It reveals how scientific memory is built through institutions, ceremonies and public art, not just through original documents.

Look closer

  • Who is shown speaking, and why might a scientist be chosen to unveil the monument?
  • What does the choice of an abstract sculpture, rather than a portrait, suggest about how heredity was being represented?
  • What does this image tell you about Mendel's legacy rather than about Mendel himself?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Gregor Mendel on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Scan of the first text page of Gregor Mendel's 'Versuche über Pflanzen-Hybriden', with the title, author name, presentation date note, and the opening section 'Einleitende Bemerkungen' in German black-letter-style print on aged paper.Book

Primary source

Versuche über Pflanzen-Hybriden

Gregor Mendel · 1866 (read 1865)

Black-and-white portrait of a man with short wavy hair, wire-rimmed spectacles, and a dark high-collared coat with a white clerical collar, facing the camera against a white background.Photograph

Primary source

Gregor Mendel

Unknown

Black-and-white group photograph of ten monks in long dark robes posed together, with a caption below naming them, including Gregor Mendel, and the title 'Plate III. Gregor Johann Mendel among his Fellow-Monks'.Photograph

Primary source

Mendel with other monks

Unknown

Black-and-white photograph of a long, low wooden building with a corrugated metal roof and a row of small-paned windows, partly overgrown with shrubs and climbing plants. A brick base is visible at right. A printed caption at the bottom reads: Abb. 16 Mendels Bienenstock im Altbrünner Klostergarten.Photograph

Primary source

Mendel's Beehouse

Unknown · before 1909

Black handwritten cursive signature on white background, reading 'Gregor Mendel' with a smaller abbreviated mark ('Ohh' or similar) written beneath it.Document

Primary source

Signature of Gregor Mendel

Gregor Mendel

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