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Anna Atkins: Catalyst of Modern Photography Through The First Photobook

Isenogle, Melanie R
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522796885194359

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Art/Art History.
Anna Atkins (1799-1871) was a botanist first and a photographer second. Dedicating the majority of her life to the study of British botanicals, Atkins initially recorded these plants through the act of drawing. Living during a time filled with photographic advancements from the likes of William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877), Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre (1787-1851), and Sir John Herschel (1792-1871), Atkins also played a critical role for photography through her publications. Herschel, a family friend, created the cyanotype method, which often forgoes the use of a camera and lens to create a picture. The cyanotype produces handmade photogram impressions of objects from light rays and emulsion. Atkins chose to use this process for her renderings of the plants she studied due to its ability to capture more “accurate depictions." Atkins's book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, created during the years 1843-1853, offers full pages of cyanotypes and wrappings which are made entirely of photographs. These images come in the form of a Prussian blue and white negative, combing both text and image to provide not only an education and categorization of the plants themselves, but also a more accurate depiction of the botanical specimens Atkins had spent her life studying. This straight photographic style, via the photogram, also precedes traditional theories of when modern photography begins. Photography has habitually been categorized as beginning in the year 1839 with Talbot’s and Daguerre’s announcements of their processes for fixing light rays. What scholars and critics sometimes fail to recognize, though, is that the beginnings for the modern era for photography start within this time, rather than around the twentieth century. Therefore, it could be argued that these innovations from Talbot, Daguerre, Herschel, and Atkins too, act as an advancement for the medium, thus propelling photography into a modern era. Through careful analyses of the New York Public Library’s copy of one of Atkins’s publications, it is evident that her work exemplified this modern quality and captured an intellect that continues to inspire contemporary artists today.
Andrew Hershberger, Dr. (Advisor)
Sean Leatherbury, Dr. (Committee Member)
59 p.
Art History; Fine Arts; History
Atkins; Cyanotype; Photography; Photobook; Anna; Alternative; Photo

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Isenogle, M. R. (2019). Anna Atkins: Catalyst of Modern Photography Through The First Photobook [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522796885194359

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Isenogle, Melanie. Anna Atkins: Catalyst of Modern Photography Through The First Photobook. 2019. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522796885194359.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Isenogle, Melanie. "Anna Atkins: Catalyst of Modern Photography Through The First Photobook." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522796885194359

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1522796885194359
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This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.