Making Sense of Variations in the Visual Depiction of DNA

Depictions of DNA span a variety of aesthetic choices for presenting the details of DNA. One important consideration is the didactic intent of the illustrator: What do they want the audience to know? Another issue to consider is change over time: Knowledge about DNA has become increasingly sophisticated over six decades, and this contributes to the variety of visual depictions. One way to make sense of these aesthetic decisions is to trace them historically through four phases.