Sargassum bacciferum 1851 - 1855

This cyanotype shows a sample of Sargassum seaweed against a vibrant blue ground, made by Anna Atkins in the 19th century. The seaweed, with its berry-like bladders, evokes the ancient symbol of the cornucopia, a horn overflowing with nature's bounty. Across cultures, the horn of plenty represents abundance and nourishment. Think of the Greek goddess Demeter, her arms laden with wheat, or the Roman depictions of Fortuna, dispensing riches from a cornucopia. Even in modern Thanksgiving celebrations, it remains a potent symbol of harvest and gratitude. But here, in Atkins' botanical study, the cornucopia takes on a scientific precision. The detailed form of the seaweed, rendered in stark white against the blue, becomes a meditation on the natural world. It represents the human urge to collect and classify, to bring order to the abundance, echoing the shifting meanings of ancient symbols in our modern, scientific age.