Description
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 photography in 1842. Anna used this new technology in order to catalogue plant specimens—a true marriage of science and art. In 1843, Anna published the book Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions with handwritten text and cyanotype photographs. It is considered the first book of photographs ever published.
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.
"Detailed and informative . . . A valuable biography of an early female scientist—and a rare portrait of a father-daughter collaboration." -Publishers Weekly
“This gives the book a dreamlike quality; Anna’s world feels misty and faded. In fact, much of what we know about Anna has been lost to history . . . Her life is one worth knowing.” -The New York Times Book Review
- Author: Fiona Robinson
- Hardcover
- Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (February 12, 2019)
- 48 pages, 12.3" x 9.3"
- ISBN: 9781419725517
- Reading age: 6 to 9 years
- Grade level: K +
