1. Sun Printing Cyanotype Impressions
“The Pencil of Nature”

2. Anna Atkins(1799-1871) English Botanist
Father George Children was a Scientist
First Woman to Publish a book entirely of Photographs
No hand drawn Illustrations
She wrote letters back and forth to Henry Fox Talbot the inventor of Photography
She learned about the Cyanotype method from the scientist Sir John Herschel a family friend

3. Algae: Cyanotype Impressions
Published in 1843
Used Photography as an accurate medium for scientific Illustration
Algae

4. Algae: Cyanotype Impressions
This Reference book took 12 years
Contains over 400 prints
Only 12 of these books exist and can be viewed in a British Museum
The photos are still in good condition

5. Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Flower Plants and Ferns (1854)
Cyanotype also known as Blue Print
She called her work
shadowgraphs
Horse Tail

6. Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Flower Plants and Ferns (1854)
Can you guess what this is?

7. Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Flower Plants and Ferns (1854)

8. What is a Cyanotype Photo ?
A Blue Print Process
Paper is coated with an Iron Salt solution (potassium ferricyanide) and Ammonium Citrate
An object is fixed on this paper (Surface Negative) under glass

9. How it works When exposed to Sun Light a chemical reaction occurs
The paper is washed and removes the exposed chemical area
This results in a white image on a deep blue background
This image is the “positive” or outline of the object used.

10. Do Photographers Still use the Cyanotype Process Today?
Certainly - it is inexpensive
You don’t need a dark room
Some Artists hand coat or “Paint” the sensitized paper
Some Artists coat other mediums such as wood or Cloth
Many use actual Photo Negatives on sensitized paper

11. Some Terms to Remember Negative Positive Shadowgraphs Blueprint
Symmetry
Principle of art Line and Texture

12. Get out a sheet of lined paper and a pencil
Get out a sheet of lined paper and a pencil. Answer the following questions
What is a shadowgraph?
Who is Anna Atkins?
What chemicals are used to produce a cyanotype?
What were cyanotypes originally used for?