Magnolia Branch with Four Flowers, anonymous, 1910 - 1925

gelatin silver print, h 249mm × w 291mm More details

After X-rays were discovered in 1895, they soon came to be applied in photography. X-radiographs made visible what was concealed to the human eye. They served primarily useful purposes, such as revealing fractures. This photograph, however, was probably taken simply for its sheer beauty. The petals hardly absorbed the X-rays, which is why they look so transparent and ethereal in the photograph.