Bangia fusco-purpurea
1843-1853
Anna Atkins didn't use a camera to create this ghostly image; she simply placed the seaweed directly onto light-sensitive paper and let the sun do the work! The result is a stunning cyanotype, where the deep Prussian blue background contrasts with the delicate white silhouette of the Bangia fusco-purpurea algae. Atkins is widely considered the first person to publish a book illustrated with photographic images, using this 'sun printing' technique to document British flora in the 1840s.
- Technique
- Cyanotype
- Material
- Paper
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