Exploring the blue allure of the forgotten art of cyanotype

Of all the forms of amateur photography to have been enjoyed over the past two centuries, from early pinhole cameras to shaky home videos, cyanotype is perhaps the most intriguing and least well-known. Distinguished by a signature Prussian-blue backdrop, the cyanotype process is often used to capture the forms of leaves, flowers and feathers, their unnatural blue colour abstracting negatives of natural forms. Unlike more conventional silver-plate photography, these sun prints are alluringly unpredictable, a quality appealing to artists since its conception.

Modern designer Emma Mapp was first drawn to cyanotype printing after being made redundant in 2009 and embarking on a new career in photography. ‘I love the accessibility – you don’t need a fancy darkroom or much processing equipment – and the immediacy of creating a work of art within minutes. You never know how the image is going to turn out, and can experiment with all sorts of flora and fauna.’ Now Emma is on a mission to introduce more people to this largely forgotten form of photography, running regular online courses and supplying beautifully packaged cyanotype kits via her company Mapp of London.

‘Cyanotype is a perfect summer activity, when flowers are in full glory and the sun is shining most reliably,’ agrees London-based artist Magda Kuca, who runs in-house and digital workshops from her Soho studio. ‘For me, the history of the process is particularly interesting. Though it was discovered by scientist John Herschel, it was a female botanist called Anna Atkins who became the first ever cyanotype photographer.’