{"product_id":"anna-atkins-cyanotypes","title":"Anna Atkins: Cyanotypes","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt the dawn of the Victorian era in her open-air laboratory in Halstead, Kent, \u003cstrong\u003eAnna Atkins\u003c\/strong\u003e embarked on a \u003cstrong\u003eradical experiment\u003c\/strong\u003e to document botanical species using a completely \u003cstrong\u003enew artistic medium\u003c\/strong\u003e. The inimitable cyanotype photograms of algae and ferns she created were made into the first books to feature photographic images. \u003cstrong\u003eStriking yet ethereal\u003c\/strong\u003e, these albums are a \u003cstrong\u003eperfect synthesis of art and science\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough the cyanotype technique was discovered by her friend John Herschel, Atkins was the first to realize both its \u003cstrong\u003epractical purpose\u003c\/strong\u003e for her own interests in botany and taxonomy, and its \u003cstrong\u003eintriguing artistic potential\u003c\/strong\u003e. The process, which involved fixing the object on sensitized paper and exposing it directly to sunlight, results in the \u003cstrong\u003ePrussian blue pigment\u003c\/strong\u003e that forms the unmistakeable backdrop to these artworks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAtkins’ albums \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBritish Algae\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e (1843–1853) and \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e(1853), the latter of which was produced with her friend Anne Dixon, are works of remarkable rarity. Reprinted here in their entirety for the first time, they reveal her \u003cstrong\u003emastery of multiple disciplines\u003c\/strong\u003e: While the cyanotype process allowed Atkins to meet the challenges of accurate representation, the delicate contours of the specimens, set above the intense blue background, has lent the images a timeless aesthetic appeal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis\u003cstrong\u003e edition\u003c\/strong\u003e, drawing extensively from the copies of the New York Public Library and J. Paul Getty Museum, has \u003cstrong\u003ecarefully compiled cyanotypes from several sources\u003c\/strong\u003e to reprint Atkins’ seminal works in full. \u003cstrong\u003eOver 550 cyanotype impressions\u003c\/strong\u003e are accompanied by a series of introductory essays from Peter Walther, placing Atkins’ work in its scientific and art-historical contexts and paying rightful tribute to the groundbreaking contributions of a female pioneer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57394357502334,"sku":"NW9783836596039","price":89.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9783836596039.jpg?v=1778679131","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/anna-atkins-cyanotypes","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}