Spiranthes vernalis- Narrow-leaved Ladies' Tresses 1931

Edwin Hale Lincoln made this photograph of Narrow-leaved Ladies' Tresses, sometime around the turn of the last century, give or take. The artist set up his camera—big and bulky by today’s standards—and went about composing his shot. I imagine him, head under a dark cloth, carefully adjusting the focus, and then waiting. Waiting for the light to be just right, for the wind to die down. The stillness of the image is so striking, right? The ladies' tresses, so delicate and precise, they stand in sharp focus. The stalks appear to be reaching upwards, their tiny white flowers spiraling around them in a delicate dance. I can feel the artist’s careful attention to detail. This feels like an intimate portrait of the natural world. In a way, it's the work of scientists like Ernst Haeckel, who were busy using art to document and study the natural world, inspiring many artists to get out there and do the same.