Click here to skip to content  Dictyola dichotoma  Photographer:
Anna Atkins (1799 - 1871)  'Dictyota dichotoma, in the young
state and in fruit, 1843–53'  Between 1843 and 1853, the
botanical artist Anna Atkins produced a series of over 400
startling images of British algae. Employing the same technique
that Talbot had used for his early photogenic drawings, she laid
specimens on sensitised paper and exposed them to sunlight. 
Rather than using Talbot’s process, however, she chose instead
the cyanotype, invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842. Simple and
inexpensive to produce, its rich blue tones proved particularly
appropriate for these beautifully arranged studies of marine
organisms, valued now for their abstract elegance rather than
for any scientific usefulness.  As a relatively simple process
to prepare and manipulate - it required no development or fixing
other than washing - it was popular among amateurs throughout
the 19th century. It has also been widely used by engineers and
architects for reprodu