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History of Visualization of Biological Macromolecules
This site, by by Eric Martz and Eric Francoeur discusses both physical as well as digital representations.
"Shortly after conceiving the idea for his Bender, crystallographer Byron Rubin realized that the machine used in Midas Muffler shops to customize automobile tailpipes operated on a similar principle, but at larger scale. He collaborated with the local shop to construct a backbone sculpture of rubredoxin about 5 feet high from stainless steel tailpipe. Rubin's rubredoxin sculpture won the Chandler competetion at the University of North Carolina in 1973, and since then has stood in the lobby of the Paul M. Gross Chemistry Building at Duke University, Durham NC USA."
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"DCRT found it to be prohibitively expensive to publish an atlas of computer-generated, spacefilled images in color. A breakthrough occurred when they learned of an inexpensive cardboard viewer for stereo slides, which would accomodate a pair of 35 mm slides in 2x2 inch mounts. This viewer folded flat for convenient enclosure in the cover pocket of the 3-ring binder in which TAMS was distributed."