Callithamnion thuyioides
1843-1853
Floating in a vast ocean of deep Prussian blue, this delicate, fern-like seaweed looks like a ghostly snowflake suspended in time. Anna Atkins created this image in the 1840s using a brand-new photographic technique called cyanotype, essentially making a photogram by placing the actual algae directly on light-sensitive paper and letting the sun do the rest. She is widely considered the first person to publish a book illustrated entirely with photographs, turning dry scientific cataloging of British algae into something unexpectedly beautiful and ethereal.
- Technique
- Cyanotype
- Material
- Paper
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