Joining separate spheres: Christine Ladd-Franklin, woman-scientist (1847–1930).

The life and career of Christine Ladd-Franklin (1847–1930), a psychologist remembered principally for her theory of color vision, are the focus of this article. Attention is paid both to the gender-linked societal forces that operated to exclude her from a career in science and to the numerous enabling influences in her life (such as female relatives who advocated women's rights and a supportive spouse) that served to counter them. The exclusionary forces included the doctrine of separate spheres of activity for men and women and the institutionalization of science during the 19th century. The strategies that Ladd-Franklin used to negotiate the boundaries between women's traditional domestic sphere and the "men's world" of scientific psychology are also examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)