Quick!
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Britain?
(No, it's not bad teeth, buggery, and booze. Those are wicked stereotypes. Shame.)
It's algae. British Algae. Some of the finest in the world, I'll have you know. Britain's pride and joy. Especially when captured by Anna Atkins, British botanist, photographer, and the first woman to publish a book illustrated exclusively with photographic images.
From the New York Public Library's incredible Flickr set:
Photographs of British Algae by Anna Atkins (1799-1871) is a landmark in the histories both of photography and of publishing: the first photographic work by a woman, and the first book produced entirely by photographic means. Instantly recognizable today as the blueprint process, the cyanotypes lend themselves beautifully to illustrate objects found in the sea.
Beautiful. I could look at these all day. (I want to wallpaper an entire bathroom with these images.) In fact, the New York Public Library's set on Flickr will make a wonderful procrastination device as I continue to sabotage my Christmas shopping plans. Check out their collection on early modern dance and lose all motivation to do anything constructive today.
Thank you, Kate of the wondrous poetry blog, Things Written Down for sharing this with me.