Sporochnus rhizodes
1843-1853
Meet Anna Atkins, the Victorian scientist who accidentally became the world's first female photographer! She created this delicate, ghostly image of seaweed using a brand-new technique called the cyanotype, which turns paper a striking Prussian blue when exposed to sunlight. By placing the actual algae directly onto the light-sensitive paper, she captured its intricate, branching structure in stark white silhouette. This wasn't just art; it was a scientific catalog, making her book 'Photographs of British Algae' the very first book ever illustrated with photographs.
- Technique
- Cyanotype
Views: 13