| British botanist and first female photographer Date of Birth: 16.03.1799 Country: Great Britain |
Anna Atkins, born Anna Children, was a British botanist and the first female photographer. She was born in 1799 in Tonbridge, Kent, England. Her mother, Hester Anne, passed away in 1800, leaving Anna to be raised by her father, John George Children. Anna developed a strong interest in science, particularly botany, from a young age, which was influenced by her close relationship with her father. She had a fascination with marine fauna and spent much of her time in the laboratory, rather than engaging in traditional household and social activities.
Through her father and her own scientific endeavors, Anna became acquainted with many notable British scientists of her time. Among her acquaintances were William Fox Talbot, a renowned physicist and chemist, considered one of the inventors of photography, and Sir John Herschel, who invented the cyanotype, a new method of monochromatic photographic printing. Recognizing the potential of photography in her own research, Anna began experimenting with the medium.
In 1843, Anna published the first part of her work "British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions." This was essentially a photo album, and she subsequently published several more parts of the book between 1843 and 1853, with over 400 images included. Anna's photographs were created using a camera-less method. She would place her algae specimens on a sheet of paper coated with iron salts and expose it to sunlight. After washing the paper, white images of the algae would appear against a blue background.
Anna Atkins released her work in 1843, a year before Talbot published his book "The Pencil of Nature," which made her the first person to use photography as illustrations in a book. However, it should be noted that Talbot's publication was the first photographic album in history, while Anna only illustrated her book. Nevertheless, Anna Atkins can be considered the first female photographer, as she was the first to print and publish photographs.
Anna Atkins took on the surname Atkins after marrying John Pelly Atkins in 1825. They did not have any children. She passed away on June 9, 1871, at the age of 72, suffering from rheumatism and extreme frailty. In addition to her books on algae, Atkins published several other books featuring photographic illustrations, including "The Perils of Fashion" (1852), "Memoir Of J G Children" (1853), and "A Page from the Peerage" (1863), among others.