A collection of deep Prussian-blue photograms by the photographic pioneer Anna Atkins, Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns renders over 100 fern specimens in luminous white silhouettes.
A pioneer in her field, Anna Atkins was an English botanist and one of the earliest women to work in photography. Her first volume, Photographs of British Algae (1843) – widely regarded as the first book illustrated with photographs – is a landmark in the history of both publishing and science.
This later volume, Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns (completed in 1853), turns the early photographic process into a remarkable collection of botanical blueprints, capturing the fine detail of nineteenth-century British botany with a clarity that feels wholly modern.
Reproduced in their original detail and published with a new introduction, this collection stands as both early photographic art and the achievement of a pioneering woman of science.
Book Features:
- A facsimile of Anna Atkins' 1853 Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns.
- Over 100 cyanotype plates of fern specimens in Prussian blue and white.
- An inspiring work by the first woman known to publish a book illustrated with photographs.
- A cornerstone of early photography and one of the most beautiful records of British and foreign ferns.
- A distinctive gift and coffee table book for lovers of botanical art, cyanotype printing, and vintage photography.