Ceramium strictum
1843-1853
Imagine placing a piece of seaweed on paper and letting the sun paint the rest of the picture. Anna Atkins created this delicate, ghostly white specimen using the cyanotype process, bathing the background in a rich Prussian blue while the plant blocked the light. Interestingly, Ceramium strictum is actually a red algae, but here it appears as a frozen explosion of white lace. Atkins didn't even use a camera; she simply laid the algae on light-sensitive paper and exposed it to sunlight. Published in the 1840s, her work is often cited as the very first book illustrated with photographs.
- Technique
- Cyanotype
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