Anna Atkins, “ Alaria esculenta,” from Part XII of Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions (1849-50), cyanotype (courtesy Spencer Collection, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and ...

Every architect knows what a blueprint is. Fewer know the process behind it - cyanotype printing - was first used not for buildings but for algae. In 1843, English botanist Anna Atkins began producing ...

Accompanies the exhibition Blue Prints: The Pioneering Photographs of Anna Atkins, held at The New York Public Library from October 19, 2018 to February 17, 2019. Includes a facsimile of Photographs ...

In artist Mandy Barker’s new book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype imperfections, she uses the same technique as the botanist and pioneering photographer Anna Atkins to draw attention to the ...