Victorian Micro Artwork

[ray_parkhurst]

I bought a closeup photography book at a used book store (couldn't pass it up for $2.49) and it had some basic info (but no pics) regarding a form of artwork from the Victorian era where folks would arrange butterfly scales of different colors, or diatoms of different shapes, to make micro art. Does this art form have a name? I've seen examples on this forum of beautiful arrangements of a variety of diatoms, but I don't remember any that are intended as artwork (sorry if I am dis-respecting any diatom artists). Anyway, would love to see any such work, new or vintage, or info about where to look for further info and hopefully pics of this interesting medium.

[rjlittlefield]

There's a little at http://www.victorianmicroscopeslides.com/slidegrp.htm . Click on "Arranged" on the left side.

--Rik

[Alan Wood]

A modern practitioner, Klaus Kemp, sadly passed away in 2022.

He was a regular exhibitor at microscope club meetings in Langton Matravers and Reading, where he showed the equipment that he used and let us try arranging diatoms.

You can see some of his work in a Google search:
https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... ource=univ

Alan Wood

[ray_parkhurst]

Wow, beautiful work. Thanks for the links, and sorry to hear about Klaus.

Is this work the reason for discussions about glass and tungsten needles?

[Beatsy]

I think they're just called "arrangements", Ray, whether diatoms, butterfly wing scales, radiolarians or whatever.

Search for Harold "Henry" Dalton - he was a whizz at the mixed form picture-arrangements. Reportedly put them together *very* quickly too.

Some about the man himself here...
http://www.microscopist.net/DaltonH.html

Cheers
Beats