PBA Galleries

4 mounted hexagonal photographs, approximately 6.5 to 8.5 cm wide on stiff card mounts (3 grey, 1 white) 12.5x12.5 cm. The white mount is dated Jan. 26, 1898, the others are undated.

Wilson A. Bentley (1865-1931) was a pioneer in the field of photomicrography and in 1885 became the first person to photograph a single crystal of snow by adapting a microscope to a bellows camera. He would capture more than 5000 snowflakes during his lifetime, finding no two to be alike. Provenance: From the descendants of Rev. Henry Crocker, acquired directly from the photographer. "Reverend Henry Crocker discovered Bentley working in conditions of poverty and wrote a learned article about Bentley's studies. Worldwide recognition eased Bentley's financial burden. In demand as the world's foremost scientific authority on snowflakes, the shy photographer nevertheless remained reluctant to leave his home during winter for fear fo missing a snowstorm." (James Chenowith, Oddity Odyssey: A Journey Through New England's Colorful Past." p.23).