Habenaria macrophylla- Large Round-leaved Orchid 1931

This black and white photograph of orchids was taken by Edwin Hale Lincoln, sometime in his life between 1848 and 1938. Imagine Lincoln, patiently setting up his camera, carefully arranging the orchids to capture their delicate forms. What was he thinking? What did he feel as he looked through the lens? I sympathize with his need to record the world. I, too, know the urge to capture a fleeting moment, to fix it in time. There’s something fascinating about how he chose to arrange the four separate plants from left to right. Photography, like painting, allows us to see the world in new ways. Lincoln’s photo freezes these beautiful orchids in time, allowing us to study their intricate details, their elegant curves and lines. It is a reminder of our connection to the natural world, and the power of art to make visible the often-unseen beauty around us. It is like looking at the work of other artists, a conversation across time, inspiring each other's creativity.