Sir John Herschel, an astronomer, while trying to find a way to copy his notes he invented the cyanotype process. He began by experimenting with sun prints (or photograms. They were one of the earliest forms of photography, involving laying an object on chemically treated paper before exposing it to a light source. Later, in 1842, he used paper coated with a solution of iron salts, exposed it to sunlight, and then washed it with water to create the very first cyanotype – a white image on a deep blue background. This method proved to be easier, cheaper, and more durable than the previous silver-based method. It was initially used for reproducing technical drawings (blueprints) and scientific documentation before becoming an artistic medium

Anna Atkins, a botanist and talented illustrator, sought a more accurate way to depict the structure of a plant. hand-printed several albums of botanical and textile specimens, especially Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, effectively the world’s first photographically illustrated books. The first photo book was published in 1943.

Her passion for botany, along with the discovery of cyanotypes, meant that for 10 years she was able to create three volumes of work, illustrations of Algae and plant life, which was a key step in the history of scientific illustration.

Cyanotypes were widely adopted for architectural and engineering drawings, becoming synonymous with the term “blueprints.

John Mercer in the 1850s used the process for printing photographs onto cotton textiles, and discovered means of toning the cyanotype violet, green, brown, red, or black

In recent years, cyanotype has experienced a revival as an artistic medium, with contemporary artists exploring its unique aesthetic qualities. There is so much more to explore with the cyanotype medium.