Bryopsis plumosa 1851 - 1855

This cyanotype of Bryopsis plumosa was made by Anna Atkins sometime in the mid-19th century. As a female botanist in a male-dominated scientific community, Atkins used photography to document and share her botanical findings. This print, part of her publication *Photographs of British Algae*, represents not only a scientific record, but also a radical act of self-representation. The cyanotype process, with its distinctive Prussian blue hue, allowed Atkins to circumvent the traditional art world, while asserting herself in the scientific one. There’s a poignant intersection of science, art, and gender here. Atkins’ work invites us to consider the hidden histories of women in science and the alternative ways of seeing and documenting the world that they developed. This image offers a glimpse into a moment when science and art converged through the vision of a woman determined to make her mark.