Rhytiphlea complanata / (Polysiphonia cristata) c. 1843 - 1853

Anna Atkins made this cyanotype of algae sometime in the mid-19th century. Here we see how an emerging technology connected with the Victorian passion for natural history. Photography was still in its infancy, but Atkins, who was a botanist, recognized its potential for scientific documentation. She embraced the cyanotype process, a simple photographic technique that produces a distinctive Prussian blue print. It allowed her to create detailed records of plant specimens like these, with their delicate fronds rendered in ghostly white against the blue ground. This image comes from a time when scientific societies were beginning to flourish, providing platforms for the exchange of knowledge. The Linnean Society, for example, played a central role in classifying and documenting the natural world. These early images reflect the Victorian desire to classify and catalogue the world. Further research into the correspondence between natural history societies will reveal the social networks that underpinned Atkins's scientific work.