Wilson Bentley

Wilson Alwyn Bentley, born on February 9, 1865, in Jericho, Vermont, was a pioneering American meteorologist and photographer, famously known as Snowflake Bentley. His remarkable contributions to the field of meteorology stemmed from his passion for capturing the intricate beauty of snowflakes. Bentley was the first individual to take detailed photographs of these delicate ice crystals, showcasing their unique features.

To achieve this, Bentley developed a meticulous process of catching snowflakes on black velvet, allowing him to photograph them before they melted or sublimated. His dedication to this craft led him to propose the groundbreaking theory that no two snowflakes are identical, a notion that has since become widely accepted in the scientific community.

Despite the technical limitations of his era, Bentley's photographic techniques have stood the test of time. Kenneth G. Libbrecht notes that the methods he employed are essentially the same as those used in contemporary snowflake photography. Bentley's work was so exceptional that it discouraged others from attempting to photograph snowflakes for nearly a century.

Today, the most extensive collection of Bentley's snowflake photographs is preserved by the Jericho Historical Society in his hometown. Additionally, he generously donated his original glass-plate photomicrographs of snow crystals to the Buffalo Museum of Science, where a portion of this invaluable collection has been digitized and made accessible in a digital library.