Corallina officinalis
1843-1853
Anna Atkins didn't use a paintbrush for this; she used sunlight and chemicals. This is a cyanotype, a photographic process that creates that distinctive deep blue background. By placing the seaweed Corallina officinalis directly onto light-sensitive paper, she captured its intricate, branching structure in ghostly white. This piece is from her 1843 book 'Photographs of British Algae', which is famously the first book ever illustrated with photographic images—making Atkins the pioneer of the photobook!
- Technique
- Cyanotype
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