Cladostephus spongiosus 1851 - 1855

Anna Atkins, a pioneer of photography, created this cyanotype print of the seaweed *Cladostephus spongiosus* between 1851 and 1855. This image is part of her groundbreaking book *Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions*, a collection of seaweed specimens captured using the cyanotype process, which she helped to popularize. Atkins’s cyanotypes, characterized by their distinctive blue tones, demonstrate the scientific and artistic possibilities of early photography, capturing the intricate details of the natural world with remarkable precision.