"Anna Atkin’s British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions: A Victorian Woman’s Innovation in Photography, Botanical Illustration, and Publishing "

An essay completed on April 29, 2010

Abstract: Exceptions in gender expectations regarding photography, botanical illustration, and publishing propagated across the various fluxes in 19th century taxonomy. As 20th-21st century concentrations on women’s histories have exposed, women frequently assisted their male family members’ professional pursuits in photography and botany. Their endeavors in these fields were laregly considered a “hidden asset” to their family, with little to no recognition. In this concealed role, a woman could be introduced to an advanced education in practices outside of her traditional domestic feminine activities. Middle-class women were thus able to sidestep the impression that their self-directed pursuits worked against the propagation of Victorian society, that is, as long as their leisurely interests served as casual amusements or preparations for their future domestic roles. To their advantage, the patience and delicate handling required in 19th century photographic and botanical practices underscored Victorian notions of femininity.

As the advertisement for popular publication The Young Lady’s Book of Botany (1840) proclaimed: “That the mental constitution of the fair sex is such as to render them peculiarly susceptible of whatever is delicate, lovely, and beautiful in nature and art cannot, we think, be controverted; we are not, therefore, surprised that Botany receives more of their attention and study than any other science.” The preparations required for a woman to partake in photographic, botanical, and publishing pursuits were more than just a hobby, but they had not yet been culturally defined as a science. The blurring of these distinctions allowed for female activities that problematized conventional gender assumptions about Victorian womanhood.

In this paper I look at Anna Atkins’s (1799-1871) pioneering role as a photographer, botanical illustrator, and publisher as expressed in her album British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions (1843-1853).