Fall in love with the first photos of snowflakes
Bentley would go on to take more than 5,000 photos of snowflakes in his lifetime, according to the Smithsonian.
What makes some snowflakes so large?
How do snowflakes get so jumbo-sized? It's literally a sticky situation.
Nearly 140 years ago, Wilson A. Bentley shot the earliest photograph of a snowflake, providing the world with a still image of the ephemeral crystals for the very first time.
Bentley would go on to take more than 5,000 photos of snowflakes in his lifetime, according to the Smithsonian. In doing so, he helped contribute to the canon of snowflake science and became a pioneer in photomicrography.
Bently's story began in 1865 in the town of Jericho in northern Vermont. According to the Smithsonian, the area is part of the "Snow Belt" as it receives about 120 inches of snowfall every year.
Photo of a dendrite snowflake, as captured by Wilson A. Bentley.
(Smithsonian Institution Archives)
As a child, Bentley took an interest in the natural world, taking a daily record of the weather and becoming fascinated by raindrops. His fascination then shifted to snow crystals after his 15th birthday, when he was gifted a microscope.
This set him on a path to capture the beauty and originality of snowflakes through photography like never before.
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Snowflakes are difficult to photograph because they melt so quickly, according to the Smithsonian. Bentley experienced his own challenges in trying to photograph the crystals, but eventually found a way to connect a camera to his microscope, which he used to see an up-close look at the snowflakes.
Photo of a star crystal snowflake, as captured by Wilson A. Bentley.
(Smithsonian Institution Archives)
He then would stand in the cold with his microscope and camera for several hours at a time, waiting for the chance to catch falling snowflakes. According to the Smithsonian, once a snowflake landed, Bentley used a feather to place it under the lens of his microscope-camera contraption.
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Being in the chilly conditions of the outdoors, Bentley was able to capture an image of the snowflake before it melted.
In addition to the artistry of photography, Bentley also used his images to help further the scientific understanding of snowflakes. He collaborated with J. Humphreys, a physicist with the U.S. Weather Bureau, to publish findings about snowflakes along with 2,300 of his photographs.
Photo of a plate snowflake, as captured by Wilson A. Bentley.
(Smithsonian Institution Archives)
He also published 60 articles, in which he photographed and wrote about snow crystals, frost, dew and other weather elements, according to the Smithsonian.
Bentley donated 500 of his snowflake photographs to the Smithsonian Institution in 1904 to ensure their safety, according to the museum.