Wilson Bentley Photomicrograph of Fernlike Stellar Snowflake No. 920

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Notes

  • SPI No. SPI_279
  • Bentley No. 920
  • Wilson A. Bentley first became fascinated with snow during his childhood on a Vermont farm, and he experimented for years with ways to view individual snowflakes in order to study their crystalline structure. He eventually attached a camera to his microscope, and in 1885 he successfully photographed the flakes. This photomicrograph and more than five thousand others supported the belief that no two snowflakes are alike, leading scientists to study his work and publish it in numerous scientific articles and magazines. In 1903 Bentley sent prints of his snowflakes to the Smithsonian, hoping they might be of interest to Secretary Samuel P. Langley.

Cite as

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 31, Image No. SIA2013-09128

Repository Loc.

Smithsonian Institution Archives Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507; 600 Maryland Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20024-2520

Date

  • 1890
  • Circa 1890

Restrictions & Rights

  • No access restrictions. Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu
  • No Copyright - United States

Topic

  • Snowflakes
  • Photomicrography

Form/Genre

Black-and-white photographs

Local number

SIA RU000031 [SIA2013-09128]

Physical description

Albumen prints; 3.5 x 3;

Full Record

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