Today is the 216th Birthday of renowned English Botanist and Photographer Anna Atkins and Search Engine Giant Google has honored her with a doodle on its homepage depicting the images of leaves reminiscent of her photography.
Google Doodle showing Photography of Anna Atkins
Anna Atkins was born on March 16, 1799 at Tonbridge, United Kingdom. She is considered as the first woman to create a photograph. Her Mother died a year later. Since Childhood she was inspired by her father John George Children, who was a Scientist himself.
Anna learned the basic of primitive photography from William Henry Fox Talbot. He taught her the “photogenic drawing” technique (in which an object is placed on light-sensitized paper which is exposed to the sun to produce an image) and calotypes.
In 1842-43, she developed photographs of algae (seaweed) by making cyanotype photograms. In 1843 she published “Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions”, which is considered the first book illustrated with photographic images.
She passed away on June 9, 1871 at Halstead, United Kingdom due to “paralysis, rheumatism, and exhaustion.