Anna Atkins and Cyanotypes
Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
What is a cyanotype?
Some of the earliest forms of photography didn't need a camera. This video explores cyanotypes, an early camera-less photographic technique. We look at examples from Anna Atkins's "Photographs of British Algae," the first photo book ever illustrated with photographs of algae, created around 1853. The video focuses on understanding the cyanotype-making process, an important part of the history of photography.
Anna Atkins
Cyanotype impression of Bryopsis plumosa, 1843. NYPL. Photo: © Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
Video chapters
0:00 What is a cyanotype?
1:15 How to create a cyanotype
2:04 Anna Atkins, science, and botanical art
2:40 Collecting and documenting specimens
4:11 Atkins's book Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions
Learn more
See our entire glossary of art history, history, and archaeology.
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