Wilson A. Bentley

Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley was born a farmer but his remarkable photographs and pioneering work in photomicrography gained him worldwide recognition. As a boy, Bentley became fascinated with snowflakes. At first, Bentley tried to accurately sketch snowflakes which he would place under his mothers microscope, but their fleeting nature proved this task nearly impossible. In spite of his failed attempts, his obsession with the snowflake’s geometrical beauty endured. On January 15 1885 he took his first picture of a snow crystal. Over the course of 40 years Bentley went on to capture images of over 5000 snow crystals, no two ever alike.He once stated in an interview that, “I became possessed with a great desire to show people something of this wonderful loveliness, an ambition to become, in some measure, its preserver.”