Ectocarpus amphibius 1851 - 1855

Anna Atkins made this cyanotype print of Ectocarpus amphibius, a type of brown algae, sometime in the mid-19th century. Atkins, a botanist, was one of the first people to experiment with photography and is considered the first woman photographer. In Victorian England, scientific pursuits were typically the domain of men, but Atkins, through her social position and access to education, defied these gendered expectations. Her photograms, with their stark, ethereal beauty, blur the lines between scientific documentation and art. The cyanotype process, with its distinctive Prussian blue hue, transforms the algae into ghostly specimens against a vibrant ground. Atkins once noted her aim was to capture “impressions of nature herself.” Yet, in her hands, seaweed becomes more than just a scientific specimen; it evokes a sense of wonder, prompting us to consider the intersections of art, science, and gender in the Victorian era.