There's still a part of me that wants to be an entomologist. I've never lost my love of bugs since I was 10 years old. Apparently Elise Gravel hasn't either! Her adorable bug pictures accompany facts and interesting information about the most populous creatures on earth.
What makes the 18th and 19th century study of Nature so alluring is how it was all interconnected with other sciences, art and literature. At that time so many naturalists had to be artists and draw their observations. This biography of Anna Atkins enters just at the time when photography (a burgeoning science of its own!) was being utilized..
This wonderful book tells the story of Anna's work as a botanist and her use of cyanotypes to publish the first photography book of her collection of seaweed. The illustrations are in shades of blue with only a pop of momentous red, and best of all many of Anna's cyanotypes are duplicated.
These "sun prints" are quite easy to make and I love how well they suit botanical treasures. Fiona Robinson took some liberties with the early unknown years of Anna's life, but she perfectly captured a father sharing his love of discovery and curiosity with his daughter, and the spirit of the times.
