A cyanotype photogram made by Atkins which was part of her 1843 book, British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions

Anna Atkins (née Children) (1799-1871), a British botanist, is credited with creating the first ever book of exclusively photographic images, titled "British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions", a collection of cyanotype photograms of algae, the first installment of which was self-published in 1843 (the year after the invention of the cyanotype process, and four years after the announcement of the invention of photography). Only about twelve copies of the book were made, one of which can be viewed (by appointment) in the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford, England. She continued to publish other installments of the "British Algae" series, and also to make other books like "Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Flowering Plants and Ferns" (1854) Cyanotype is an old monochrome photographic printing process which gives a cyan-blue print. ... A colour photogram of lemons and tomato stems. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... A camera. ... Cyanotype is an old monochrome photographic printing process which gives a cyan-blue print. ... A colour photogram of lemons and tomato stems. ... A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... ... Bradford is the major settlement in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, in the county of West Yorkshire in the north of England. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Early years

An example of Atkins work, from her 1854 book, of Wood Horsetail

Anna Atkins was born in Tunbridge, Kent, her mother dying in childbirth. Her father, John George Children, was a scientist of many interests (the Children's Python and the mineral childrenite were named after him), and certainly contributed to Anna's scientific education. Binomial name Equisetum sylvaticum L. The Wood Horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum) is a horsetail (family Equisetaceae) native to the Northern Hemisphere, occurring in North America, Eurasia, and Asia. ... Tunbridge Wells (officially Royal Tunbridge Wells) is a Wealden town in west Kent in England, just north of the border with East Sussex. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... John George Children (May 18, 1777 - January 1, 1852) was a British chemist, mineralogist and zoologist. ...

See also

• Photogram
• Cyanotype

A colour photogram of lemons and tomato stems. ... Cyanotype is an old monochrome photographic printing process which gives a cyan-blue print. ...

External links

• New York Public Library
• Getty museum
• Some more examples
• About.com