Gigartina Griffithsiae
1843-1853
Anna Atkins created this ghostly, floating form by placing actual seaweed directly onto light-sensitive paper and exposing it to sunlight. This process, called a cyanotype, turns the background a deep Prussian blue while leaving the plant's silhouette stark white. It’s part of her groundbreaking 1843 book, 'Photographs of British Algae,' which holds the title of the first book ever illustrated with photographs. The delicate, branching lines of the Gigartina Griffithsiae look less like a plant and more like a lightning bolt or a neural network captured in blue ink.
- Technique
- Cyanotype
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