5x7 B&W vintage photograph signed in blue ballpoint ink by Mary Leakey. In very good condition.(1913-1996) Mary Leakey was a British paleoanthropologist who discovered the first fossilized Proconsul skull, an extinct ape that is now believed to be ancestral to humans. She also discovered the robust Zinjanthropus skull at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, eastern Africa. For much of her career, she worked with her husband, Louis Leakey, at Olduvai Gorge, where they uncovered fossils of ancient hominines and the earliest hominins, as well as the stone tools produced by the latter group. Mary Leakey developed a system for classifying the stone tools found at Olduvai. She discovered the Laetoli footprints, and at the Laetoli site, she discovered hominin fossils that were more than 3.75 million years old.During her career, Leakey discovered fifteen new species of animal. She also brought about the naming of a new genus.In 1972, after the death of her husband, Leakey became director of excavations at Olduvai. This lot came from the Jim Wiggins collection we purchased in July 2022. Jim Wiggins accumulated the most unique and valuable autograph collection over a period of 70-plus years. He obtained his collection either in person or by writing to persons of fame and notoriety. Comes with a full Letter of Authenticity from Todd Mueller Authentics.