No Two Alike: The First Photos of Snowflakes
Published in 1923, these vintage images highlight the beauty and mystery of snow crystals. BYBRIAN CLARK HOWARD NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
PUBLISHED JANUARY 2, 2016
In the late 1800s, a self-educated Vermont farmer by the name of Wilson Bentley made the first successful image, or “photomicrograph,” of a single snowflake. He used a bellows camera attached to a microscope.
Some of Bentley’s striking work was published in National Geographic magazine in 1904. Another series of his images ran in 1923, highlighting the delicate beauty and unique geometry of snow crystals.
Today, we still marvel at the way the tiny flakes reflect and refract light, and how no two seem to be exactly alike. Although a scientist found two in a Wisconsin snowstorm that looked identical in 1988, they were most likely different at the molecular and atomic level, argued Caltech physicist Kenneth Libbrecht.
"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,” Bentley said of his work in 1925. He passed away in 1931 at his farmhouse in Jericho, Vermont, after having photographed more than 5,000 snowflakes.
In this gallery, we revisit some of our favorites from Bentley’s work.
NATURE’S BEAUTY
Bentley went through a lot of trial and error to perfect his technique of photographing snowflakes through a microscope. The result, he hoped, would highlight the beauty of nature and the uniqueness of each flake.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILSON BENTLEY
DELICATE ICE
In 1931, Bentley published the book Snow Crystals, containing 2,400 of his images of flakes. Snowflakes take on their various forms as they pass through different temperature and humidity levels in the atmosphere.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILSON BENTLEY
POLYGONAL FORM
This geometric flake calls to mind a bee hive. Before he photographed flakes, Bentley drew them with pencil, although they kept melting before he could finish.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILSON BENTLEY
THROWING STAR
This flake resembles the throwing stars used by ninjas.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILSON BENTLEY
THE NAMESAKE
Because of the popularity of his work, the photographer became known as “Snowflake Bentley.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILSON BENTLEY
CRYSTAL FORMS
Bentley was struck by the wide range of shapes he could see in snowflakes. They form in the atmosphere as microscopic water droplets freeze.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILSON BENTLEY
FINE DETAIL
Bentley’s camera was able to pick up intricate detail of complex flakes.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILSON BENTLEY
ALIEN CRAFT?
In this flake, six points form around a triangular shape.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILSON BENTLEY
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/160102-vintage-snowflake-pictures?loggedin=true&rnd=1671052590747
