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19th-Century Photographer Captured 5,000 Snowflakes

Posted by kdawson on from the more-science-than-art dept.

tcd004 writes "Wilson Bentley began photographing snowflakes in 1885, and managed to immortalize more than 5,000 crystals before his death in 1931. Now his images are widely recognized and highly sought after. At the age of 19, 'Snowflake' Bentley jury-rigged a microscope to a bulky bellows camera and took the first-ever photograph of a snowflake. Photography then, particularly microphotography, was much closer to science than art. In a 1910 article published in the journal Technical World, he wrote, 'Here is a gem bestrewn realm of nature possessing the charm of mystery, of the unknown, sure richly to reward the investigator." The video embedded at the link above touches on another long-forgotten piece of history: a sketch of the photographers who captured arial views of assemblages of tens of thousands of soldiers returning from WW-I, carefully choreographed and arranged to form a Liberty Bell, a Stature of Liberty, a US flag... as forgotten as the origin of the WW-I term razzle-dazzle.

10 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Bring forth ye Olde English Grammar Nazis by MrKaos · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Sayeth thy worst to this befuddled reader of text.

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    1. Re:Bring forth ye Olde English Grammar Nazis by itsenrique · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      jury rigged a microscope eh? sounds like evidence for a court case was being forged or doctored. i always thought the term was jerry rigged, but maybe its regional.

    2. Re:Bring forth ye Olde English Grammar Nazis by belg4mit · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      It should be spelled jerry-rigged is a slight on World War I Germans.
          http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=jerry-rigged
      Jury-rigged is apparently an acceptable term derived from French.
          http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=jury

      Personally, I spell it jerry but pronounce it jury.

      --
      Were that I say, pancakes?
    3. Re:Bring forth ye Olde English Grammar Nazis by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      The ships to be jury rigged: that is, to have smaller masts, yards and rigging than would be required for actual service. The rigging of the vessels is proposed for the purpose of exercising the young men who chuse to engage in the fishery in the practical art of seamanship

      A tour in England and Scotland, in 1785 By William Thomson

      The book was published in 1788... Is that old enough for you?

    4. Re:Bring forth ye Olde English Grammar Nazis by belg4mit · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      The book was published in 1788... Is that old enough for you?

      Irk? I already referred to this form with the second link. Note though that
      "temporary" rigging lacks the negative connotation of "bubblegum & bailing wire"
      or "mickey-moused" that jerry-rigged implies.

      --
      Were that I say, pancakes?
    5. Re:Bring forth ye Olde English Grammar Nazis by belg4mit · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Note though that "temporary" rigging lacks the negative connotation of
      "bubblegum & bailing wire" or "mickey-moused" that jerry-rigged implies.

      So actually, yeah, the original use of jury-rigged was appropriate here.

      --
      Were that I say, pancakes?
    6. Re:Bring forth ye Olde English Grammar Nazis by value_added · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Sayeth thy worst to this befuddled reader of text.

      I think you meant "thine" (that which belongs to thee).

      Also, it's "wurst", not "worst". Speakers of Ye Olde English were big on sausages. And ale. Lots of ale. And wenches, of course.

    7. Re:Bring forth ye Olde English Grammar Nazis by LearnToSpell · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Baling. I think you need bailing wire when your jury's been rigged. :-)

      --
      Haida Manga
    8. Re:Bring forth ye Olde English Grammar Nazis by siride · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      No, "thy" is quite correct here, although "sayeth" isn't. The singular imperative quite boringly had no ending in Early Modern English (or late Middle Engish -- whichever the OP was going for). "Thine" was the original form, and over time came only to be used before words starting with a vowel or when standing alone (as "mine" still is) and "thy", a shortened form, was used before consonants and eventually took over as the sole adjectival form (as "my" still is).

  2. "THIS STORY BELONGS IN THE IDLE SECTION" by baomike · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    It is.