Halymenia furcellaria.
1843-1853
Anna Atkins created this striking image by placing a piece of seaweed directly onto light-sensitive paper and leaving it out in the sun, a process known as a photogram. This technique, called a cyanotype, turns the background a deep Prussian blue while leaving the delicate branches of the algae as a ghostly white silhouette. Published in parts starting in 1843, her book 'Photographs of British Algae' is widely considered the first book ever illustrated with photographs, making her a true pioneer of the medium decades before color photography existed.
- Technique
- Cyanotype
- Material
- Paper
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