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
If 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
Publications by Bentley During his Life
Bentley 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
Snowflakes in Motion Trailer

Delicate symmetry
More about Bentley and Snowflakes

Crystalline perfection
Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley on eBay
Wilson Bentley Links
- 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
Share your thoughts about the Snowflake Man
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Margo_Arrowsmith
May 16, 2011 @ 5:06 am | delete
- Wow! I never heard of this guy before! thanks so much! I have lensrolled him to Ansel Adams as he is to the micro nature what Ansel Adams is to macro nature!
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HarmonyArtMom
Jan 13, 2011 @ 7:36 pm | delete
- I discovered this gem of a man last year and love reading all about him. Thanks for the great lens. Favoriting, lensrolling, and blessing.
***Blessed by an Angel***
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haikuwedding
Jan 6, 2011 @ 12:43 pm | delete
- My kids LOVE the Caldecott award-winning book "Snowflake Bentley" and your amazing lens has brought his art and life to life. Thanks so much and thumbs up.
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kajohu
Dec 31, 2010 @ 4:13 pm | delete
- I really enjoyed this lens! It's amazing that he could get such good photographs of snowflakes with the equipment he used. I'm lensrolling it to my How are Snowflakes formed lens.
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Tipi
Dec 30, 2010 @ 9:16 am | delete
- Charming! The appreciation of exquisite beauty and that becoming your passion at this level made Wilson Bentley rich beyond measure! Thank you for sharing this wonderful look into this great treasure in our history.
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SpellOutloud
Jan 14, 2010 @ 11:00 am | delete
- My daughter and I were just studying about Snowflake Bentley today. I thought I'd look to see if anyone had anything up on Squidoo. So glad I found this lens. Lots of great information.
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ElizabethJeanAllen
Feb 7, 2009 @ 9:06 am | delete
- I love to read about unusual people and thier passions.
Great lens
Lizzy
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K_Linda
Jan 27, 2009 @ 4:04 pm | in reply to MobyD | delete
- Thanks for joining! This lens makes a great addition to the Vermont Lovers Group.
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MobyD
Jan 27, 2009 @ 2:54 pm | in reply to K_Linda | delete
- Thanks for the invitation! I've submitted this lens.
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K_Linda
Jan 27, 2009 @ 1:40 pm | delete
- MobyD,
I'd like to invite you to join a new Vermont Lovers Group that I just launched.
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Dec 28, 2008 @ 6:37 pm | delete
- I love reading about unusual people with a passion. So interesting...
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SusanRusso
Dec 27, 2008 @ 6:37 am | delete
- It is amazing that there are no two snowflakes alike, just like us! Love this lens!
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K_Linda
Dec 21, 2008 @ 2:28 pm | delete
- I grew up in Underhill, Vermont...the town next to Jericho. We learned about "Snowflake" Bentley in Vermont history class in elementary school. Very nice lens! You have lots of info here that I didn't know about. 5*'s.
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Tracey_M
Nov 25, 2008 @ 5:58 pm | delete
- Lovely lens. Will be back to read this fully tomorrow for sure.
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MobyD
Nov 23, 2008 @ 12:21 am | in reply to pmalynn | delete
- I used to be one of those Massachusetts flatlanders, but would travel up to Jericho, VT for visits to my aunt and uncle who lived there for many years. The marker by the village green is how I first learned about Wilson Bentley. Now I'm in Portland, OR, where we don't get much snow, which is fine with me.
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pmalynn
Nov 22, 2008 @ 10:51 pm | delete
- As a former Vermonter -- now living among the flatlanders of Massachusetts! -- I found this lens very interesting. 5* Thanks for sharing this great information.
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MobyD
Feb 21, 2008 @ 9:08 am | delete
- I'm pretty sure Bentley's father, like his son, was a farmer.
Thanks to fun4cat and dsfg for your comments!
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dsfg
Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:08 pm | delete
- i have a question........ what did wilson bentleys father do for a living??
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fun4cat
Jan 16, 2008 @ 6:09 pm | delete
- Loved it! I always wondered how he took those pics. Thanks for sharing!
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by MobyD
I'm very interested in Celtic music and have created a series of lenses about performers. See Celtic Music: Lenses (named Lens of the Day on March 16,... more »
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