$2,091
Wilson Alwyn Bentley (American, 1865-1931) Four Photographs: Three of Snowflakes and One of Frost , c. 1885-1931. Unsigned. Gelatin silver prints, sheet sizes to 4 x 3 1/8 in. (10.2 x 7.9 cm), unmatted, unframed. Condition: Scattered minor handling crimps. Provenance: Gift of Alice Bentley Hamalainen, Wilson Bentley's niece, to the current owner. N.B. In 1885, after several years of trial and error, Wilson Bentley succeeded in making a photograph of a snowflake by combining his microscope with a bellows camera. Working outside, he captured falling flakes, delicately transferring them to his equipment with a feather to delay melting. He produced over 5,000 microphotographs of snowflakes, as well as frost, dew, and other atmospheric phenomena and published over 60 articles on the subject in popular and scientific journals before his death in 1931.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2016-09-23