In a stunning celebration of early photography and the natural world, Anna Atkins‘ Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns is a remarkable collection of botanical prints from the world’s first female photographer.
Delve into the history of Anna Atkins’ cyanotypes, and discover a landmark feat of scientific illustration and publishing in this stunning addition to our Art Meets Science collection.
A stunning volume of botanical cyanotypes from the first female photographer
Anna Atkins
Anna Atkins was an English botanist and photographer. While little is known about her personal life, she is considered the first female photographer and the first person to publish a book illustrated with photographic images.
First published in 1853, this volume is an immersive showcase of unique botanical prints. The cyanotypes featured in this book are some of history’s first photographs, capturing British and foreign ferns in deep Prussian blues and crisp whites. Delve into the history of Anna Atkins’ cyanotypes, and discover a landmark feat of scientific illustration and publishing in the latest addition to our Art Meets Science collection.
The First Female Photographer
Predating the advent of photography, authors relied on lengthy descriptions of specimens in their works to envisage their subjects. They often pasted in hand-made illustrations and sketches or dried examples of specimens themselves, none of which provided comprehensive examples for their studies.
By 1839, the discovery of photography had been introduced in Britain by William Henry Fox Talbot, another close acquaintance of Atkins’ father. Through this connection, Atkins learnt first-hand about Talbot’s new photographic inventions. These included the photogenic drawing technique, where an object is placed on light-sensitised paper and uses the light from the sun to produce an image, as well as calotypes, a photographic method that uses paper coated with silver iodide that darkens when exposed to the light, creating an image in relief.
Passages in Talbot’s journals reveal that he sent Atkins and her father his first memoir on photography along with some of his first photographic prints. This early access to the methodology of photographs allowed the pair time to practise and experiment with techniques, with Atkins’ father also providing her with one of the earliest cameras.
The Legacy of Anna Atkins' Cyanotypes
As one of the first people to marry the worlds of science and photography, Atkins saw the importance of capturing the beauty of plants in a way that only the cyanotype process offered at the time. She was a pioneer of a new photographic process, developing a unique style of reproducing imagery. Her evanescent cyanotypes of algae and ferns artfully blend the worlds of botany and photography, creating a collection of Prussian blue impressions that would establish her as a catalytic force in book publishing and scientific illustration.
A stunning volume of botanical cyanotypes from the first female photographer
This facsimile edition of Anna Atkins’ Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns captures the delicate magic of her vibrant botanical studies, taking care to reproduce the Victorian cyanotypes in their original state as a true celebration of this often-forgotten work.
Read more about Anna Atkins’ Cyanotypes and her work as the first female photographer here.
