ABOUT THIS COLLECTION  
This extraordinary collection of photomicrographs by Arthur E. Smith come from his book “Nature Through Microscope and Camera”.  Photomicrography, or photography of objects under a microscope, was gaining adherents at the time as a very useful scientific tool. When these photographs were shown in 1904 in an exhibition by the Royal Society in London, they were a sensation, since most of the general public had never seen this “invisible” world, from a cross-section of a lily bud to the proboscis of a blowfly. Published by the evangelical Religious Tract Society, the author put a religious spin on the photographs as evidence of a beauty that could not be possible without God, the “great designer.”
 
COLLECTION DETAILS
Series title: Early Photomicrographs of Nature
Series size: 8 artworks
Edition: Limited edition of 1000
Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarrante proof of ownership.
Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
Medium: Photomicrography
Artwork materials:  Camera, microscope
Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
ID: 2749212597480566...
 
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Arthur E. Smith was a native Londoner about whom we know very little, apart from these photographs and his photographic methods, which are described in the book. Smith created an impressive bellows extension from the microscope to the camera, which was required to project the image onto the large 12 x 10 inch photographic plates. The photomicrographs were taken at a wide range of magnifications, including the detail of diatoms at 1750X and “macro” shots of whole insects at 8X. The exposures were said to be between two seconds and two hours or longer. In the early 20th century, scientific applications of photomicrography were much more highly regarded than its potential artistic value. But by the 1930s, photomicrography had become appreciated for its artistic value as well.
 
COLLECTION CREDITS
Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Artwork: Arthur E. Smith
Year of original publication: 1909
Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
Editorial: Braden Phillips
Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
Executive production: Victor Zabrockis
 
RIGHTS OVERVIEW
Source of artwork: California Digital Library
Underlying work rights: PD Worldwide
Digital copyrights: No Additional Rights