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Wilson A. Bentley - The Snowflake Man

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A Life Dedicated to the Beauty of Snowflakes

" I wouldn't trade places with Henry Ford or John Rockefeller for all their millions! And I wouldn't change places with a king: not for all his power and glory. I have my snowflakes!" - Wilson A. Bentley, Jericho, Vermont (1865-1931)


"No two snowflakes are alike" is a common saying that can be credited to Bentley, the eccentric farmer whose inquiring mind brought the beauty of single snowflakes to the attention of the world.


My father's brother and his family lived for many years in Jericho, which is how I first became aware of Wilson A. Bentley, the Snowflake Man.

Jericho, Vermont's Most Famous Resident

Wilson A. BentleyIf you exit Interstate 89 in Vermont where it crosses US Route 2 in Richmond, head east a couple of miles to the center of town and turn north, you'll soon come to the village of Jericho Center. Like many places in New England with "Center" in their name, the village is several miles away from Jericho and its collection of stores and schools further north on Route 15. As you pass by the town green, you'll see a small historical marker noting that the village was the home of Wilson A. "Snowflake" Bentley, still known over 75 years after his death as the first person to take pictures of snowflakes.

Bentley took over 5,000 photographs of snowflakes using a bellows camera connected to a microscope. He began taking these photos in 1885, and before he died, they had caught the interest and imagination of people all over the world. While he was very objective in his passion to collect and photograph the huge variety of snowflakes, he could be poetic in his descriptions, describing his subjects as "tiny miracles of beauty" and "ice flowers."

Bentley and his photographs have become a cottage industry in Jericho, with a gift shop and chocolate shop located in town and online (see the links after the book listings).

The Snowflake Man Video

from WBZ-TV Boston's Mish Michaels

This excellent short video includes a film clip from 1917 showing Bentley working with his camera to photograph a snowflake. It's got some nice views of the countryside and the village green, too.
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Publications by Bentley During his Life

William_Jackson_HumphreysBentley was a farmer all his life and never traveled far from Jericho. His snowflake photographs were published in a monograph co-authored by atmospheric physicist William Jackson Humphries of the U.S. Weather Bureau. The monograph contained 2,500 snowflake photos. This monograph is what Jackson appears to be viewing in the photograph to the left.

Bentley was the author of the article "Snow" in the 14th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Photographs in this lens are all in the public domain.

Nature's beauty, carefully preserved 

Bentley and His Snowflakes

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Snowflakes in Motion Trailer

Trailer for a one-hour documentary includes still photos of Bentley and scenes of the area he lived in, along with spoken quotes from Bentley's writings.
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Delicate symmetry 

More about Bentley and Snowflakes

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Crystalline perfection 

Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley on eBay

Look for books and other items about Wilson Bentley and his snowflake photographs.
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Wilson Bentley Links

There are several businesses in Jericho, Vermont with a variety of products related to The Snowflake Man.
Vermont Snowflakes-Official Wilson A. Bentley Reproductions & Collectibles
Officially Authorized Wilson A. Bentley Reproductions and Collectibles - A portion of all sales are donated to the Jericho Historical Society to aid in their mission to preserve the collection and the legacy of "Snowflake" Bentley.
Wilson Snowflake Bentley - Photographer of Snowflakes
Wilson Bentley, (1865-1931)The Snowflake Man, Photographer of Snowflakes from Jericho, Vermont. Bentley photographed 5,381 snowflake images in his life time. The website contains additional links, including one to a video from WBZ-TV in Boston featuring meteorologist Mish Michaels on location in Jericho.
Snowflake Chocolates - Fine Chocolates Made in Vermont
Snowflake Chocolates is a family owned and operated company producing fine chocolates in Vermont. "No two chocolates are alike."
Vermont products and services-Vermontwares Mercantile-
Vermontwares-Quality Vermont products and services. Gifts, products and services from the green mountain state. Vermontwares is located in Jericho.
The Bentley Snow Crystal Collection
The Bentley Snow Crystal Collection of the Buffalo Museum of Science is a digital library providing a high-quality collection of stunning, un-retouched images of Wilson A. Bentley's original glass slide photographs of snow crystals, and includes dynamic resources to further an appreciation and understanding of Bentley and his work.
Wikipedia article on Wilson Bentley
The article contains information and links about Bentley.
The Jericho Historical Society-The Old Mill
The Old Red Mill & Museum houses the "Snowflake" Bentley Exhibit along with artifacts, machines, and exhibits. It was a working mill from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. The mill was acquired for use by the Jericho Historical Society in 1973 and the museum opened in 1981.
Two identical snowflakes? Not really.
NewsBiscuit is a parody site that put up the story "Scientists discover snowflake identical to one which fell in 1963." They claim that Wilson Bentley took a photo in 1963, which would be rather hard for him to do since he'd been dead for 32 years by then. They also claim the lead researcher of the project which discovered the "identical" snowflakes was Kenneth Libbrecht (see the following "More Snowflacke Photography"). Nice try, NewsBiscuit.

More Snowflake Photography

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