'A masterpiece of design'

Photos by Wilson Bentley, circa 1902.

Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley
Photographer, (1865-1931)

Mr. Bentley, of Jericho, Vt., was one of the first photographers to closely study and photograph snowflakes. See his picture below. 

"...But always, from the very beginning, it was
snowflakes that fascinated me most. The farm
folks, up in this north country, dread the winter;
but I was supremely happy, from the day
of the first snowfall-which usually came in
November-until the last one, which sometimes
came as late as May."

"Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes
were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame
that this beauty should not be seen and
appreciated by others. Every crystal was
a masterpiece of design and no one design was
ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that
design was forever lost. Just that much beauty
was gone, without leaving any record behind."

He died of pneumonia at his farm on Dec. 23, 1931, after walking home six miles in a blizzard.

Mr. Bentley at work.