Cyanotype is a non-silver photographic process. It works on the idea that certain iron salts are sensitive to light. When the iron salt (in this case ferric ammonium citrate) reacts with potassium ferricyanide it forms insoluable ferric ferricyanide, also known as Prussian Blue. Cyanotype prints are made by contact printing. A good quality paper or cloth is coated in low light with the emulsion. A an object or negative (the same size as the final image) is placed on the dried sensitized paper, sandwiched under glass and exposed to the sun (or UV light). To develop the print, it is washed in water until the unexposed areas are clear of emulsion.
Cyanotype has links that extend back to 1842 when it was invented by Sir John Herschel. The cyanotype process was adopted by Anna Atkins, one of the first female photographers, who used it between 1843-1853 to produce a set of 411 plates that illustrated an entire series of British seaweeds. From 1881 Marion & Company began to sell precoated paper to architects and shipbuilder as a quick and inexpensive way to reproduce plans. This is why it became more commonly known as blueprint. Contemporary use of Cyanotype is often referred to as an alternative or experimental photographic process.
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