Scientific Committee

Anna Atkins


Anna Atkins (1799-1871) was an English botanist and scientific illustrator. She was trained by her father, the naturalist John George Children (1777-1852). She was a member of the London Botanical Society, and her herbarium is in the British Museum and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. She was a pioneer in photography and live specimen printing techniques. Her exceptional work Photographs of British Algae consists of cyanotypes of algae, often tiny and therefore impossible to herbarium.