The history of cyanotypes
The English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel discovered the procedure in 1842. Though the process was developed by Herschel, he considered it as mainly a means of reproducing notes and diagrams, as in blueprints.It was Anna Atkins who brought this to photography. She created a limited series of cyanotype books that documented ferns and other plant life from her extensive seaweed collection. Atkins placed specimens directly onto coated paper, allowing the action of light to create a silhouette effect. By using this photogram process, Anna Atkins is regarded as the first female photographer.
A Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan print. Engineers used the process well into the 20th century as a simple and low-cost process to produce copies of drawings, referred to as blueprints The process uses two chemicals: ammioum iron(iii) citrate and pottassium ferricyanide.
Who was Anna Atkins?
The cyanotype process was used most famously by Anna atkins’s in her 12 part book British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions. This was the first book ever to be illustrated with photographs making her a real pioneer of the new art form. Cyanotypes were amongst the first ever kinds of photographs that did not require a camera. In essence, they describe perfectly the meaning of the word ‘photography’ - photo = light; graph = to draw. Therefore, photography = drawing with light. She was born in' tonbridge Kent, England in 1799. Her mother Hester Anne "didn't recover from the effects of childbirth " and died in 1800.Anna became close to her father john george children ,who was a scientist of many interests; for example, he was honoured by having the mineral childrentite and the Children's python, antaresis childreni, named after him. |
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Here is a slideshow of anna atkins cyanotypes....
Here are some of my cyanotypes....
Here are some of my cyanotypes....