Cyanotype Photography

Derived from the Greek word 'Cyanos' meaning 'Dark Blue' combined with 'Type' meaning 'Impression'
~ The Original Blue Print ~

A complex reaction of iron compounds combined with UV results in an insoluble blue dye otherwise known as ‘Prussian Blue’.

With cyanotypes' many variables, there is a beautiful unpredictability to the results—ensuring that every single piece remains a completely unrepeatable original.

A toned cyanotype of waves rolling into a shoreline with a distant horizon and cloudy blue sky all in a palette of toned prussian blue

The Basics:

To create each print, a solution of iron compounds is hand-coated onto any *receptive surface to make it mildly photosensitive. By exposing this surface to UV rays with various contact prints and textures placed on top, any areas where the light is blocked remains white (or the original colour). Where the sunlight shines through, a chemical reaction occurs that turns the surface into a deep Prussian blue. Finally, the addition of assorted household solutions like baking soda and vinegar varies the pH levels of the iron compounds, shifting the classic blue into a completely unique spectrum of warmer tones and organic shades.

'Robbie Burns' - Cyanotype on *Turnip Slice

A Stitch in Time: The History of Cyanotype & Botanical Art

Invented in 1842 by the English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel, the historic 19th-century photographic process was originally created not as art, but as a brilliant way to copy notes, complex architectural diagrams, and engineering sketches—giving birth to the literal term "blueprints."

However, the medium was truly brought to life by Anna Atkins, an English botanist and friend of Herschel. In 1843, she placed local seaweed and fern specimens directly onto the light-sensitive paper, publishing the world’s very first book illustrated entirely by photographs. By matching the precision of science with the elegance of nature, she paved the way for the original coastal art and botanical blueprints created today.

The wonderful for thing for me as a contemporary cyanotype artist is that all this photographic history happens to have collided in a location just a few miles from where I now live. Sir John Herschel took on his astronomy work from his father Sir William Herschel who named seven moons of Saturn & four moons of Uranus using a telescope of his own design in a house in Bath (now a Herschel Museum). We know that Sir John was a friend and collaborator with William Fox Talbot and was instrumental in helping Fox Talbot to create the oldest known camera negative in 1835, capturing a small lattice window at Lacock Abbey in the next village along from mine. It is here at Lacock Abbey that John Atkins brought his daughter Anna to stay, and where she learned from Herschel himself about the cyanotype process. Only a year after Hershel invented the process Anna had published her book. Each and every time I drive past the beautiful Lacock Abbey I reflect on how my physical location roots me in this photographic history.

The artist's miniature cupboard clad in prussian blue cyanotypes depicting mathematical equations and some key dates regarding the history of cyanotype photography and links to Herschel and Lacock

The Science Behind the Shade: An Unexpected Scottish Twist

At the heart of cyanotype photography are two key iron compounds: potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate. While that second ingredient sounds strictly clinical, it actually shares a surprising connection with Scotland’s favorite soft drink. The famous slogan claims Irn-Bru is "made from girders" due to its distinct rust-orange color—and it is a literal truth. Irn-Bru actually lists ammonium ferric citrate directly on its ingredient label as a source of iron. When I learnt this fact it gave me yet another reason for why the cyanotype process was meant to be for me - I grew up drinking Irn-Bru at school and now I use it to catch raw UV rays from the sun, converting a splash of Scottish "liquid girders" into deep, atmospheric Prussian blue. a Can of Irn Bru

The Truth About 'Cyanide': Why It Is Completely Safe

The word cyanide can understandably cause a moment of concern. However, the science behind it is a beautiful lesson in chemistry. In this solution, the cyanide molecules are bound in an incredibly tight, unbreakable grid locked around a central iron atom. Because this chemical bond is so extraordinarily strong, the cyanide is entirely inert and non-toxic. It cannot be released by contact, friction, or ordinary water rinsing, making the raw emulsion completely safe to handle in the studio and beautifully safe to display on the walls of your home.

Not just safe but highly useful:

Following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, scientists heavily relied on Prussian Blue compounds as a primary remediation tool. Because the crystal lattice structure of Prussian Blue acts like a highly specialized molecular magnet, it possesses a unique ability to trap and bind to dangerous radioactive isotopes like radiocaesium. It was safely fed to livestock across affected regions to prevent radiation from absorbing into their bodies, effectively cleaning up the food chain. The very same deep, atmospheric pigment that captures the calm of the shoreline in these prints is recognized globally as a life-saving scientific marvel.

Art in Harmony with Nature: Non-Toxic & Sustainable Art Prints

Beyond its historic charm, the traditional cyanotype process is celebrated for its environmentally non-toxic credentials. Unlike traditional darkroom photography—which relies on harsh silver nitrates, heavy chemical developers, and toxic fixing paths—cyanography is an incredibly clean, earth-friendly craft. The two natural iron salts used to coat the paper are safe to handle and pose no harm to the environment. There are no synthetic pollutants or heavy chemicals washed down the drain; the entire process is developed and fixed using nothing more than ordinary water and the natural power of the sun. Combined with sustainably sourced papers, these handcrafted cyanotypes represent a truly mindful, low-impact art form that respects the very natural world it seeks to capture.

4 individual white tiles each with a prussian blue cyanotype photograph showing immense detail of 4 pressed tulips on rice paper with a deckle edge

Did You Know?

The Astronomy Connection: Sir John Herschel initially stumbled upon the process while searching for a way to duplicate his complex mathematical and astronomical calculation sheets. An often forgotten Polymath Herschel is buried between Newton and Darwin in Westminster Abbey.
The Royal Blueprint: The deep shade of Prussian Blue was so coveted in the 18th and 19th centuries that it was used as the official uniform colour for the Prussian Army, long before it became a signature hue for coastal interior styling and fine art.
Powered entirely by the Cosmos: Because the emulsion reacts strictly to UV rays, a cyanotype cannot be exposed by standard indoor light bulbs. Every Prussian blue art print requires raw energy directly from the sun or (in my case) as bespoke handbuilt light box of my own design.

The Beauty of Imperfection: Every Print is a True Original

Because this process relies entirely on live elements and has many variables, no two cyanotypes can ever be replicated. Every shift in the sun’s intensity, the humidity in the Wiltshire air, the exact saturation of the hand-coated emulsion, and varying pH of the water rinse creates a unique fingerprint on the paper. Using this historic 'photographic' process means there is no need for digitally mass produced or Giclee reprints in this studio—only one of a kind hand created Art.