Ghosts of Christmas Past: The Unique Photomicrography on McCrone Holiday Cards
THE MICROSCOPE
2018, Volume 66:3, pp. 113–115
DOI
https://doi.org/10.59082/SJJM5817
AUTHOR
Sebastian B. Sparenga
ABSTRACT
What captures the holiday spirit better than microscopy? For more than 60 years, postcards featuring holiday and winter themes have been an annual tradition at McCrone Research Institute. Our microscopists have used various microscopical methods (e.g. Rheinberg illumination, fusion, fluorescence, and Abbe diffraction) and sampling techniques on different substances and materials to create unique festive motifs that you won’t find on the store greeting card rack. Beyond spreading good cheer, the cards represent microscopists’ knowledge of innovative imaging techniques and an attempt to cultivate ideas for future photomicrographical applications. This small selection of McCrone holiday images includes captions adapted from the descriptions found on the back of each card. More cards will be available for viewing in a photo gallery at www.mccroneinstitute.org. I would like to thank my McCrone colleagues Gary Laughlin and Dean Golemis for their help with this article.