Wilson Alwyn "Snowflake" Bentley (1865 - 1931)
Farmer, Scientist, Photographer & Author
Farmer, Scientist, Photographer & Author
Wilson A. Bentley, a self-educated farmer from Jericho, Vermont, was the first photographer credited with capturing individual snow crystals on film.
Bentley's life-long fascination with snowflakes began when he received a microscope for his 15th birthday. He became spellbound by their beauty & complexity, and tried in the beginning to capture their essence in drawings until his parents bought him his first camera.
In 1885, at the age of 19, Bentley's curiosity & ingenuity pioneered photomicrography. This technique involved a microscope, glass slides, and a bellows camera.Bentley wrote in 1925: "Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others."
"Every crystal was a masterpiece of design, and no one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind," he said.
Snow Crystals, a book of more that 2400 of his photographs was published in 1931. Wilson Bentley died of pneumonia 23 Dec 1931.
Bentley's passion resulted in more than 5000 spectacular images of snow crystals.
On 20 Jan 2010, Chicago Art Gallery owner Carl Hammer will offer for sale ten original Bentley snow crystal photomicrography images, along with 16 of Bentley's winter landscapes at an antique show presented by the American Folk Art Museum, New York.
Bentley Snow Crystal Collection
http://www.bentley.sciencebuff.org/
Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley Exhibit
Jericho Historical Society Museum
http://jerichohistoricalsociety.org/
American Folk Art Museum
http://www.folkartmuseum.org/
The American Antiques Show
http://www.theamericanantiquesshow.org/
Carl Hammer Gallery
http://www.hammergallery.com/
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