Anna Atkins 1799 - 1871

Anna Atkins received an education in botany, developing her interests to become a talented botanical illustrator, photographer and collector. She was well connected in the world of scientific research through her father, John George Children, who worked in the zoology department of the British Museum and was a member of The Royal Society. In 1823 Atkins illustrated her father's translation of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's book on seashells. She also collected and preserved around 1500 plant and algae specimens, creating a herbarium that she later donated to the British Museum. In 1839 she was elected as a member of the London Botanical Society.

Atkins was acquainted with William Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of the calotype photographic process, and John Herschel, inventor of the cyanotype. Atkins used both these processes and, in 1843, became the first person to produce a book that was illustrated using photography. The cyanotype process enabled Atkins to produce accurate and detailed imagery of her collected algae specimens, utilising a relatively simple and affordable mixture of two chemicals applied to paper, and the process of light exposure. She published her works in instalments over ten years starting in 1843. At least ten copies were shared with friends and fellow botanists, including Talbot and Herschel.