Ulva crispa, A.
1843-1853
Anna Atkins created this stunning blue page by placing actual seaweed directly onto light-sensitive paper and leaving it out in the sun. This technique, called cyanotype, turns the background a deep Prussian blue while the plants block the light, leaving ghostly white silhouettes. Published in the 1840s, her book 'Photographs of British Algae' is widely considered the very first book illustrated with photographs. It was meant as a scientific catalog for her friends, but today these delicate, floating forms look like abstract art from the future.
- Technique
- Cyanotype
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