Ptilota plumosa. ß capillaris 1851 - 1855

Anna Atkins made this cyanotype, Ptilota plumosa, sometime in the mid-19th century using photosensitive chemicals and sunlight. This wasn't fine art photography as we think of it today; it was something else entirely. Atkins placed seaweed directly onto treated paper, then exposed it to light. The process yielded this ghostly, Prussian-blue image of botanical specimens. Consider how the stark contrast renders a surprisingly detailed record of the algae. It is a scientific drawing made by way of chemistry and light. Think about the time it took for Atkins to collect and prepare these specimens. The labor involved in this process is interesting because it predates the industrialization of photography. Atkins used the scientific method, with a keen eye for aesthetics to capture these forms. Atkins’ images suggest a shift from hand-drawn illustrations to mechanically reproduced images, reflecting a transition in how knowledge was gathered, classified, and shared during the Victorian era.