Dew on a spider web

Wilson A. Bentley
$85.00
Size

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details
Artist Statement

Though famous for his snowflake photography, Wilson A. Bentley’s brief foray into the study of raindrops resulted in some of his most ethereal and magical imagery. Dew on a spider web was shot around 1910, using the same photomicrograph technique Bentley had perfected with his snowflakes by attaching a microscope to his camera. Rather than transporting dew-laden specimens to his studio, Bentley would attempt to shoot them in situ by using a black pail as a backdrop to achieve a dramatic contrast. 


While painstakingly gathering data on meteorological effects on raindrop size and appearance, Bentley never failed to appreciate both the beauty and wonder involved in his process. In Dew on a spider web, the undisturbed droplets compounded with the geometric and unrepeatable nature of the garden spider’s web encapsulate the exceptional singularity that captivated Bentley throughout his career.
Why We Love It

When Bentley captured Dew on a spider web around 1910, he used the same photomicrographic technique he’d perfected shooting thousands of images of individual snowflakes. Rather than try to transport the fleeting, fragile structure, he shot the web in situ with a microscope attached to his camera and a black pail as a backdrop. The light reflecting off the dew contrasts dramatically with the dark background, articulating every tiny orb of water and connective arc of the spider’s spiral. The web pattern is wonderfully wabi-sabi, some lines subtly askew, a signature of their spindly maker. Bentley’s image is exquisite and mesmerizing, almost metaphysical, having a sort of hypnotic effect the longer you gaze at our gossamer subject. Crystalline spheres suspended on impossibly fine strands of spider silk … is this an apparition? Of course, it’s utterly of this earth, but that’s entirely the point. Bentley eternally marveled at the magic of nature, and his profound appreciation for her miracles comes beaming through ... Read more on the blog!

Details

+ Limited-edition, exclusive to 20x200
+ Museum quality: archival inks, 100% cotton rag paper unless noted
+ Handcrafted custom-framing is available

Our quoted dimensions are for the size of paper containing the images, not the printed image itself. We do not alter the aspect ratio, nor do we crop or resize the artists’ originals. All of our prints have a minimum border of .5 inches to allow for framing

Medium

Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta

Edition Structure:
8"x10" | edition of 10
11"x14" | edition of 100
16"x20" | edition of 20
24"x30" | edition of 5
30"x40" | edition of 2
Artist - Wilson A. Bentley

Wilson A. Bentley

On January 15th, 1885, Wilson Alwyn Bentley became the first known person to photograph a snowflake. A farmer by trade, the Jericho, Vermont resident was no stranger to the snow. Dead set on documenting the remarkable beauty of snow crystals, Bentley tinkered tirelessly until he found a way to catch them on a black velvet background and quickly transfer them to a microscope slide—just long enough to photograph individual flakes in isolation for the fleeting moment before they melted into oblivion.

Bentley would go on to capture more than 5,000 icy crystals over the course of his life, setting the precedent for snowflake photography and informing scientific opinion on the subject. In fact, it was Bentley (in collaboration with professor George Henry Perkins) who first made the case that no two snowflakes are alike, solidifying that arctic adage. It’s no wonder the farmer-turned-groundbreaking photographer became known as “Snowflake” Bentley.