Habenaria nivea- Snowy Orchid 1931

Edwin Hale Lincoln made this photograph of Snowy Orchids at an unknown date, but its tones suggest it was made with platinum or palladium. It's a tonal symphony in gray, where the flowers are not just white but appear as glowing accumulations. The matte surface of the photograph invites a close look, and the precise details in the tiny orchids makes you think about vision itself, and how we translate light into information. In the center Snowy Orchid, look at how the petals emerge, so delicately, from their stems. There’s a real sense of rhythm and time here. Lincoln is interested in the process of photosynthesis, and the mechanics of botany, of course, but also in the emotional and philosophical experience of seeing, and knowing. This picture reminds me of Karl Blossfeldt’s botanical studies, but where Blossfeldt can be a bit clinical, Lincoln seems to be after the spiritual qualities of a flower. Ultimately, art’s about that conversation between looking and feeling, isn't it?