PHOTOGRAPHER

Wilson Bentley

1865 - 1931

Photo of Wilson Bentley

Icon of person Wilson Bentley

Wilson Alwyn Bentley (February 9, 1865 – December 23, 1931), also known as Snowflake Bentley, was an American meteorologist and photographer, who was the first known person to take detailed photographs of snowflakes and record their features. He perfected a process of catching flakes on black velvet in such a way that their images could be captured before they either melted or sublimated, and elaborated the theory that no two snowflakes are alike. Kenneth G. Libbrecht notes that the techniques used by Bentley to photograph snowflakes are essentially the same as those used today, and that while the quality of his photographs reflects the technical limitations of the equipment of the era, "he did it so well that hardly anybody bothered to photograph snowflakes for almost 100 years". Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Wilson Bentley has received more than 459,834 page views. His biography is available in 24 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 22 in 2019). Wilson Bentley is the 66th most popular photographer (up from 76th in 2019), the 4,374th most popular biography from United States (up from 4,886th in 2019) and the 18th most popular American Photographer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 460k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 51.73

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 24

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.85

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.34

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among PHOTOGRAPHERS

Among photographers, Wilson Bentley ranks 66 out of 148. Before him are Boris Mikhailov, Ansel Adams, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Imogen Cunningham, Adolfo Farsari, and Erich Salomon. After him are Helen Levitt, David Bailey, Karimeh Abbud, Berry Berenson, Gertrude Käsebier, and Cornell Capa.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1865, Wilson Bentley ranks 107. Before him are Eduard Vilde, Lily Braun, Cândido Rondon, Lubor Niederle, Edgar Aabye, and Albéric Magnard. After him are Jehanne D'Alcy, Robert W. Chambers, Mahmud Tarzi, Albert Aurier, Karl Blossfeldt, and Uchida Kōsai. Among people deceased in 1931, Wilson Bentley ranks 83. Before him are Tommaso Tittoni, Arnold Bennett, Louis Billot, Harald Høffding, Mammad Hasan Hajinski, and Sukhdev Thapar. After him are Milan Šufflay, Louis Dollo, Constantin von Economo, Jacques Herbrand, Teresa Claramunt Creus, and Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein.

Others Born in 1865

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Others Deceased in 1931

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Wilson Bentley ranks 4,374 out of 20,380. Before him are Lucretia Mott (1793), Katherine Kelly Lang (1961), Evelyn Furtsch (1914), Scott Bradley (1891), Benny Carter (1907), and Patty Duke (1946). After him are Charlie Christian (1916), Jon Cryer (1965), Booker T. Washington (1856), Helen Levitt (1913), Eileen Brennan (1932), and Cathy Berberian (1925).

Others born in United States

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Among PHOTOGRAPHERS In United States

Among photographers born in United States, Wilson Bentley ranks 18. Before him are Carl Van Vechten (1880), Paul Strand (1890), Herb Ritts (1952), William Klein (1928), Ansel Adams (1902), and Imogen Cunningham (1883). After him are Helen Levitt (1913), Berry Berenson (1948), Gertrude Käsebier (1852), William Eggleston (1939), Spencer Tunick (1967), and Karl Struss (1886).

American born Photographers

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