The history of photography is littered with instances where some individuals, whether inventors or artists have lesser preferences than others. For women photographers, the battle to be acknowledged is far tougher. Something similar happened with Anna Atkins, who was the first person to ever publish a photobook. However, as it is with history, the photographer’s contribution, especially that of a woman, was forgotten with the passage of time. Here’s a brief look at her journey.
The lead image and those within the article are screenshots from the New York Public Library’s collections.
How Did Anna Atkin Learn Photography
Atkin’s initial years were quite fruitful. She was the daughter of John George Children, the first president of the Royal Entomological Society of London. As a result, Atkins was only allowed to practice botanical art and illustration, as other fields were dominated by men and were not considered genteel professions by society for women. With a keen interest in art, Atkins became a successful illustrator, having her work published in the English-translated version of Jean Baptiste de Lamarck’s catalog titled Genera of Shells (1822-24).
Things began to change after her marriage to John Pelly Atkins, and the couple became close friends with William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of photography. By then, Atkin, who was 40, had used her camera to take pictures, none of which have survived. Instead, it was her friendship with John Hershel, an astronomer who invented cyanotypes as a means of copying his notes. The Prussian blue of the parchment was quite alluring to anyone who first laid eyes on it. Anna Atkin, upon seeing what the process could do, chose to use it to make photographs of British algae.
How Does The Cyanotype Process Work?
To create a cyanotype, you need a few things: paper, chemicals, and sunlight. Herschel discovered the process by applying ammonium ferric citrate and potassium ferricyanide onto the parchment and then adding objects onto them to get their imprint. Similarly, Atkins did the same, but instead of notes, she used plants to capture their impression. To ensure she had the closest possible contact between the paper and the plants, Atkins also utilized a glass sheet that covered the paper and the plant. It was then left in the sun, anywhere between 10 to 40 mins. Once the image was ready, turning the paper yellow, Atkin rinsed it with water, which gave the photographs a distinct blue tone.
How Atkins Beat Talbot in The Making of The First Photobook
Upon noticing the lack of illustration of algae, Atkin took on the task of creating some exceptional imprints by herself in 1843. She wanted to make the pictures accessible, so she decided to create a photobook. For this venture, the photographer gathered over 300 cyanotypes, which were created on hand-made paper and with the help of Anna Dixon, her childhood friend, and her house staff. The same year, she created limited edition copies of Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, making her the first person to ever achieve this feat. It must be noted that she was also the first person in photography to self-publish the book. She later created two more handcrafted books, each with Greek names of the plants handwritten by Anna.
However, just eight months later, in 1844, Talbot published The Pencil of Nature, which sold commercially. It was at this point that Atkin’s name gradually began to slip through the collective consciousness of the society. Talbot’s book was widely recognized, unlike Atkins’s, which was shared with her close family, relatives, and confidantes. The way men make many of each other’s inventions, Atkin’s work did not receive the critical fame it should have. The books, which were signed with the initials ‘A.A,’ were wrongfully identified as a shorter term for Anonymous Author or Anonymous Amateur throughout history. It was not until the 1970s or the 1990s that Atkin’s name began to re-emerge. Her story begs the question: if Atkins’ contribution was overlooked, how many other women photographers’ achievements have we not credited?
Some of the editions of the copies are with the British Library in London, the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the New York Public Library collection.