Bangia laminariae
1843-1853
Anna Atkins was basically the original Instagrammer of the Victorian era, but instead of filters, she used chemistry to create these ghostly white seaweed silhouettes against a deep ocean blue. She made this image by placing the actual algae directly onto light-sensitive paper and leaving it out in the sun, a technique known as cyanotype. Published in the 1840s, her book 'Photographs of British Algae' is widely considered the first book ever illustrated with photographs, blending scientific precision with haunting, ethereal beauty.
- Technique
- Cyanotype
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