Atkins, Anna (1799-1871) Date: 1853 Description: A cyanotype labelled 'Ceylon', from the album 'Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns', made by Anna Atkins in 1853. This image was made by placing the plant specimen on top of light-sensitised paper and then exposing it to sunlight. The brilliant blue colour of the resulting prints gives the process its more common name - the blueprint. The process was used for many years to duplicate engineers' drawings.