Clara Wetzel
(Active 1920s)

Little is known about Clara Wetzel, though in 1926 she created and compiled a series of botanical cyanotypes, documenting an array of common species, bound together as part of a school project. Each print is delicately trimmed and affixed to a sheet with details of each unique specimen. It’s unknown to us whether Wetzel was aware of Anna Atkins’ photogram or the Photogenic drawings of Henry Fox Talbot, but her photographic compilation of plant studies nods to this lineage, representing the intersection of science and photography.

Wilson A. Bentley
(1865-1931)

Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley was born a farmer but his remarkable photographs and pioneering work in photomicrography gained him worldwide recognition. As a boy, Bentley became fascinated with snowflakes. At first Bentley tried to accurately sketch snowflakes which he would place under his mothers microscope, but their fleeting nature proved this task nearly impossible. In spite of his failed attempts his obsession with the snowflake’s hexagonal beauty endured. On January 15 1885 he took his first picture of a snow crystal. Later, Bentley stated in an interview that, “I became possessed with a great desire to show people something of this wonderful loveliness, an ambition to become, in some measure, its preserver”. Over the course of 40 years Bentley worked to capture images of over 5000 snow crystals, no two ever alike.

Chris Helzer
b. 1972

Playfully jabbing at the speed and distractions of the modern world, ecologist and photographer Chris Helzer created “A Field Guide to Roadside Wildflowers At Full Speed,” a tongue-in-cheek photographic handbook for the fast-racing anthophile who simply doesn’t have time to stop and smell the roses. In the
introduction to the book, he writes: “We all know the best opportunities to see wildflowers come while on the road. Whether along an interstate highway or a remote country road, flowers of all colors and shapes are there to add beauty to our trip. Unfortunately, most wildflower field guides are nearly useless for roadside flower viewing, written for the eccentric botanical enthusiast who wanders slowly through prairies, stooping low to determine whether the sepals of a flower are hispid or hirsute...This book is written for the silent majority of people who have important places to go, but want to enjoy and learn about nature as they travel. What good is a field guide that relies upon the characteristics of tiny hairs or even minute differences in leaf or petal shape when a flower is seen from a car traveling 70 miles per hour? The world desperately needs a guide that illustrates and identifies characteristics of wildflowers as most people actually experience them...Finally, roadside wildflower enthusiasts have received the field guide they have long deserved. You’re welcome.”