Object Details
- Author
- Bentley, W. A (Wilson Alwyn) 1865-1931
- Subject
- Bentley, W. A (Wilson Alwyn) 1865-1931
- Category
- Historic Images of the Smithsonian
- Summary
- A microphotograph of a "Dendrite Star" one of the seven basic shapes of snowflakes, photographed by Wilson A. Bentley (1865-1931), known the world over as the "Snowflake Man." Bentley photographed at 17 with a bellows camera that had a microscope inside. He photographed his first snow crystal in 1885. He devoted the rest of his life to exploring these fascinating forms and photographed more than 5,000 snow crystals. A self-educated farmer, he pioneered "photomicrography," the photographing of very small objects. Bentley's interest in snowflakes led to his more recognized profession as a researcher and pioneer in photomicrographical studies between 1885 and his death in 1931. Bentley become the first person to photograph a single, unique snowflake.
- Contained within
- Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 31, Box 12, Folder: 17, Bentley Neg. # 591
- Contact information
- Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
- c. 1890
- Standard number
- SIA2008-1395
- Restrictions & Rights
- No restrictions
- Type
- Pictorial works
- Other
- Albumen print
- Physical description
- Number of Images: 1; Color: Black and white; Size: 3" h x 3 1/2" w; Type of Image: Other; Medium: Albumen Print
- Smithsonian Archives - History Div
- Topic
- Photography
- Photomicrography
- Snowflakes
- Record ID
- siris_sic_11698
