--- title: Anna Atkins, Photography Pioneer, Honored in New Google Doodle description: Anna Atkins is honored in a new Google Doodle, featuring images of leaves reminiscent of the botanist’s contribution to photography canonical: https://time.com/3745461/anna-atkins-google-doodle-photography-pioneer/ author: Kevin McSpadden article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-16T03:49:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:34.198Z og:title: New Google Doodle Honors Anna Atkins, Photography Pioneer og:description: Atkins' book is considered to be the first to use photographic illustrations. og:url: https://time.com/3745461/anna-atkins-google-doodle-photography-pioneer/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9fd82a1636a7005d/698783a70b72e3d5256de2c6/google-doodle-anna-atkins-photography.jpg?branch=production&width=382&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 382 og:image:height: 215 og:image:alt: Google-Doodle-Anna-Atkins-Photography og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: New Google Doodle Honors Anna Atkins, Photography Pioneer twitter:description: Atkins' book is considered to be the first to use photographic illustrations. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9fd82a1636a7005d/698783a70b72e3d5256de2c6/google-doodle-anna-atkins-photography.jpg?branch=production&width=382&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New Google Doodle Honors Anna Atkins, Photography Pioneer > Sponsored content. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: How Google Makes its Doodles [Watch (HLS stream): How Google Makes its Doodles](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/upF0qp1E.m3u8) (3:23)  _Published 2018-07-07. Our videographer went to the Googleplex in Mountain View, California to meet some of the designers and coders who create the special, clever variations on the Google.com logo known as_ by [Kevin McSpadden](https://time.com/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Mar 16, 2015 3:49 AM UTC  Images of leaves reminiscent to Anna Atkins' photography book are seen in a new Google Doodle. March 16, 2015 Images of leaves reminiscent to Anna Atkins' photography book are seen in a new Google Doodle. March 16, 2015 Google by [Kevin McSpadden](https://time.com/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Mar 16, 2015 3:49 AM UTC To celebrate what would have been the 216th birthday of Anna Atkins, a new Google Doodle features images of leaves reminiscent of the botanist’s groundbreaking contribution to photography. Atkins used a version of “sun-printing” to create a book of photographed botanical specimens. _Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions_ was self-published in 1843 and is considered to be the first book illustrated with photographs. The method Atkins used for developing photos is called the Cyanotype technique. It is an iron-based chemical method that creates a white image appearing on a blue background. Exposure to sunlight is required for the process to work correctly, hence “sun-printing.” Through her career, Atkins collected hundreds of specimens and in 1865 she donated her entire collection to the British Museum. Born in Kent, southern England, on March 16, 1799, Atkins was raised by her father, a respected scientist, after her mother died during her daughter’s infancy. 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