By Francesca Lungarotti
“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.” Aristotle
There’s something magical about snow, it’s an unexpected natural spectacle, capable of instilling a sense of calm and anticipation. Snow is a magical natural blanket, a mantle that adds elegance, magic and silence to any landscape, arousing in us a sense of profound contemplation.
Never like in these times of climate change and overheating has its presence surprised us when we least expected it or been so needed and appreciated.
In Photography, snow can define its presence even in historical and vintage photos. Snow has been easily identifiable and appreciable since the first black and white photographs.
Here we offer a collection of contemporary and black and white images inspired by the contemplation of this magical soft element.
Get inspired!
Trolley Car in Snow, Washington DC, USA, Harris & Ewing, 1923. Photo: GHI/Universal History Archives 
Mountain hare / Alpine hare / snow hare (Lepus timidus) in winter pelage running in the snow uphill. Photo: Arterra/UIG 
Solitary birch tree in snowy landscape in the Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park in winter, Norway. Photo: Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/UIG 
Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada: circa 1951. A skier cuts under a snow curl in the Rocky Mountains. Photo: Underwood Archives/UIG 
Tracks on snow. Italy. Photo: Marco Simonini/REDA&CO/UIG 
United States: circa 1969. An empty stadium with a single spectator. Photo: Underwood Archives/UIG 
Steam Engine Train in Winter, Switzerland, 1950. Photo: JT Vintage/Glasshouse Images 
Roped climbers , Mont-Blanc, France, Europe. Photo: Franco Cappellari/REDA&CO/UIG 
Wind-induced snow crusts on plain in winter. Photo: Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/UIG 
Snowstorm, New York. 2/14/14. Photo: HUM Images/UIG 
Abstract photo showing aerial view over birch trees in the snow of taiga. Boreal forest in winter. Photo: Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/UIG 
Aerial view of White House in snow, Washington, D.C. circa 1934. Photo: HUM Images/UIG 
Iceberg frozen into the sea ice of the Uummannaq fjord system during winter in the the north west of Greenland. Far beyond the polar circle. Photo: Martin Zwick/REDA&CO/UIG 
Snow storm at Stelvio National Park. Rabbi valley. Trentino. Photo: Marco Simonini/REDA&CO/UIG 
A mountain and houses reflected into the calm water of a lake. Eggum, Lofoten Islands, Nordland, Norway. Photo: Sergio Pitamitz/VWPics/UIG 
Catoctin Mountain Orchards. Photo: Edwin Remsberg/VW Pics /UIG 
Moon on a snowy winter night with snow on the tree limbs in Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. Photo: Jon G. Fuller/VWPics/UIG 
Snow cannons. Plan de Corones. Kronplatz. Val Pusteria. Alto Adige. Italy. Europe. Photo: Michele Bella/REDA&CO/UIG 
Mill near Kalfjesslaan in the snow, December 2, 1973, The Netherlands. Photo: Sepia Times/UIG 
Winter wonderland, a magnificent venue of trees after snow in Radley Village, Oxfordshire. Photo: Planet One Images/UCG/UIG
All images in this article and on the Kaleidoscope blog site are available for licensing. Please contact UIG at info@universalimagesgroup.com