Photomicrography

顕微鏡写真 / 1840s– / Technique / Photographic Genres

Scientific photography that records, through a microscope, structures the eye cannot reach. Bentley's snowflakes proved the scientific image could be beautiful, and that claim runs on through polarized color and fluorescence to the Nikon Small World of today.

Photomicrography — Snow crystal by Bentley, c. 1905 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Snow crystal by Bentley, c. 1905 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Photomicrography — Snow crystal 1890 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Snow crystal 1890 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Photomicrography — Polarised light micrograph of ibuprofen crystals — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 · © Janeklass — Polarised light micrograph of ibuprofen crystals — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 · CC BY 4.0 · © Janeklass

At a glance

Visual cues

Structures beyond sight
Specimens on black
Polarized and fluorescent color
The wonder of symmetry

Best used for

Illustrations for outreach and science writing on research findings
Product documents that show material structure as evidence

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Dictionary entry

Type: Put magnification and a scale bar in the frame with the specimen name
Composition: Float the specimen on black, turned so repetition reads
Material: Separate tissues by polarized or fluorescent color and record the basis
Caution: Scale bar and magnification get dropped while the color is being made beautiful, and the result becomes decoration that no longer works as a scientific figure.
Further study: Wilson Bentley / the color of polarized light / the Nikon Small World contest

Related entries

Natural History Plate (博物図譜)Shared effects: Exhilaration / Calm / Technique.Compare Photomicrography and Natural History Plate
Celestial Atlas (星図の様式)Shared effects: Exhilaration / Calm.Compare Photomicrography and Celestial Atlas

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