Callithamnion polyspermum
1843-1853
Floating like a ghostly, white coral against a vast ocean of Prussian blue, this delicate specimen is actually a piece of seaweed captured by Anna Atkins in the mid-19th century. Atkins didn't use a camera for this; she placed the algae directly onto light-sensitive paper to create a 'photogram,' effectively letting the sun do the drawing. This image comes from her groundbreaking 1843 publication, Photographs of British Algae, which holds the title of the very first book ever illustrated with photographic images—predating even William Henry Fox Talbot's famous works!
- Technique
- Cyanotype
- Material
- Paper
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