British Algae, Vol. III

This volume is a striking example of English botanist Anna Atkins’s early photographic experimentation. Created using cyanotype, a pioneering light-sensitive process, Atkins directly placed botanical specimens onto paper exposed to sunlight, producing dramatic white silhouettes against a rich Prussian blue background.

As part of her larger series "Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions," this volume is both scientific documentation and artistic creation. Atkins’s work is celebrated not only for its botanical accuracy but also for its aesthetic elegance, blending art and early photography in a way that was groundbreaking for its time.To learn more, please visit the Curationist feature on Anna Atkins.