Aphyllon Uniflorum 1905

This gelatin silver print, Aphyllon Uniflorum, was made by Edwin Hale Lincoln sometime between 1890 and 1938. Look at this gathering of ghostly wildflowers shot against a velvety dark background. There's something so delicate, yet persistent about the image, with its focus on capturing the inherent beauty and detail of the flower. I can imagine Lincoln in his darkroom, carefully manipulating light and shadow to bring out the subtle textures of the petals and stems. It's almost like he's having a conversation with these plants, coaxing them to reveal their secrets. There's a kind of quiet intensity in the way he frames the flowers, focusing on the plant's verticality. Photographers like Lincoln were part of a moment of image-making. They sought to capture something truthful and essential about the natural world. It's an exchange of ideas across time, and hopefully sparks something new in us.