This colorized photo is undated, but it can be assumed it was taken in Marie Curie's later years. Though a renowned physicist and chemist, she appears to be a frail grandmother-like figure. With her simple garb, frizzy hair, and clasped hands, one can tell that Curie is not in this for the glory or notoriety; this is strictly about science and nothing else. The BBC states that despite her discoveries, Curie faced opposition from male scientists and was never properly financially compensated for her work. Indeed, her wrinkled face presents a woman who has battled to get where she is, and her fragile stance hints at ill health.
Known for carrying test tubes of radium in her lab coat, Curie's health declined in the late 1920s (via Biography). According to Stanford University, she began to suspect that radium was deadly when two of her coworkers died of blood disease. Curie began to lose her vision, and her injuries (including a broken wrist and burns) were not healing properly. Per The New York Times, the body mistakes radium for calcium when absorbed, which can cause tumors, anemia, or leukemia. Curie was getting too ill to work, and on July 4, 1934, she died at the age of 66. It's believed she had aplastic anemia brought on from years of radium exposure.
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