This print features a reproduction of Pteris aquilina (1851) by Anna Atkins, an artist with work in MoMA’s collection. Atkins was a serious botanist who recognized the potential of the new medium to accurately record the form and structure of plants. She placed her specimens directly on sensitized paper, covered them with glass, and set them in the sun. Wherever the sunlight hit, the paper darkened, and wherever the plant blocked the rays of the sun, the paper remained white. Atkins used the cyanotype process, a relatively simple procedure that yielded prints in striking shades of Prussian blue. This print has a natural ash wood frame and measures 26h x 19”w.