John William Draper

Who was John William Draper?

John William Draper was an American scientist, philosopher, physician, chemist, historian and photographer. He is credited with producing the first clear photograph of a female face and the first detailed photograph of the Moon. He was also the first president of the American Chemical Society and a founder of the New York University School of Medicine. One of Draper's books, the anti-Catholic History of the Conflict between Religion and Science, was widely read and was translated into several languages. His son, Henry Draper, and his granddaughter, Antonia Maury, were astronomers, her younger sister, Carlotta Maury was a palentologist, and his eldest son, John Christopher Draper, was a chemist.