The Bluest of Blues

Anna Atkins and 
the First Book of Photographs

Abrams Books for Young Readers
(pub. 2.12.2019) 
48 pages

A True Tale with

A Cherry On Top   

A uthor and illustrator:  Fiona Robinson

 
C haracter: Anna Atkins

O verview:
      "A gorgeous picture book biography of botanist and photographer Anna Atkins- the first person to ever publish a book of photography.
     After losing her mother very early in life, Anna Atkins (1799-1871) was raised by her loving father. He gave her a scientific education, which was highly unusual for women and girls in the early 19th century. Fascinated with the plant life around her, Anna became a botanist. She recorded all her findings in detailed illustrations and engravings until the invention of cyanotype photographs in 1842... Weaving together histories of women, science, and art, THE BLUEST OF BLUES will inspire young readers to embark on their own journeys of discovery and creativity."

T antalizing taste: 
     "Anna dedicates herself to creating an herbarium, a collection of dried plants... She is proud of her herbarium, but it is not accessible to a wide audience. Illustrating and publishing it would take far too long - her seaweed collection alone amounts to over 1,500 examples.
     Anna thinks, if only there was a quick, accurate way to copy her collection ...
     Anna listens carefully as Sir John [Herschel] introduces his most recent discovery: the cyanotype print. This process doesn't need a camera, just two chemicals, paper, water and strong sunlight...
     Anna, inspired, sees a ... purpose for cyanotypes. She can't wait to get home and experiment ...
    As if by magic, the seaweed appears, white against the bluest of blues. Every bubble and bobble, tendril and root, frizz and wrinkle is visible."

And something more: The Author's Note explains that she signed her books "with only her monogram, A.A... For years after her death, some people assumed that 'A.A' meant 'Anonymous Author.' ... the misunderstanding may have led to her being rarely acknowledged until historians of photography in the twentieth century further researched her beautiful and scientific books."