English botanical artist, collector and photographer Anna Atkins was the first person to illustrate a book with photographic images. Her nineteenth-century cyanotypes used light exposure and a simple chemical process to create impressively detailed blueprints of botanical specimens. Anna's innovative use of new photographic technologies merged art and science, and exemplified the exceptional potential of photography in books. Andrea Hart, Library Special Collections Manager at the Museum, says, 'With the introduction of photography, you get a whole new opening up of how natural history and science can be presented in print. 'Before Atkins's book on British algae and the photographic process, botanical images would have been restricted to the traditional printing processes of engraving or woodcuts, although the art of nature printing was also in its early stages around Atkins's time.

Women were restricted from professionally practising science for most of the nineteenth century as it was an area dominated by men. Botany, however, was a subject that was accessible to all - in particular botanical art and illustration, which were considered a suitably genteel hobby for women. Working at her father's side, Anna became an accomplished illustrator.Prior to pursuing her botanical interests, in her early twenties she completed 256 scientifically accurate drawings of shells, which were published in her father's English translation of Jean Baptiste de Lamarck's catalogue titled Genera of Shells (1822-24). This volume of delicate watercolour and graphite illustrations is now held in the Museum's Library.

Anna Atkins' work caught my eye as it is not usually the way which photographers display their work, Cyanotypes. Atkins' Cyanotypes allowed her to show the fine details of nature which is what I am trying to present in my work. This technique may be a good way to display my work as it will attract my audiences' attention and make them look deeper into the piece, so they can see the fine details within my photographs. The contrast within Atkins' pieces allows the silhouette of nature to become the focal point of every piece, which is a technique I could use to portray my up-close photography and display the fine details within them that people do not notice when just walking past it. These pieces could also be a strong way to isolate my photographs and the details within them, which do not stand out much when just displayed as a solo photograph with no editing. 

These images above are a couple of my personal favourite Cyanotypes which Anna Atkins has created. I have specifically chosen these two Cyanotypes to further analyse as they are a little different from here usual pieces. These two outcomes are not fully opaque, which I personally think allows some more details to show through. This technique allows the audience to not only see the detailed silhouette of nature but it also allows them to see the faded but refined details within the silhouette.