EXTRACTION: IN CONVERSATION WITH ANNA ATKINS — MARIE SMITH

The 1807 Slave Trade Act had legally abolished and prohibited slavery in the British Empire, this was followed by the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act (which came into force in 1834) which was an expansion of the 1807 act and made it illegal to purchase and own enslaved people. Finally, in 1838, the enslaved Black people of Jamaica were emancipated.

The artist Anna Atkins was married to John Pelly Atkins, the son of Alderman John Atkins - a West India merchant and slave owner of several plantations in Jamaica. Atkin’s family received compensation that was paid to the Atkins family alongside other former slave traders at the expense of the UK taxpayer, a debt that was only paid off in 2015.

The Horniman Museum and Gardens owns 4 volumes of Atkins's study of British Algae that were made as cyanotype plates in 1848 (bound as books in 1880’s). Atkins is widely known as being the first female photographer to make a book of photographic illustrations. Alongside her studies on British Algae, Atkins made a study of British and Foreign (Jamaican) Ferns. Only two exist, with one copy residing in Bradford/UK at the National Science and Media Museum, and the other is owned by Getty in Los Angeles/USA. As someone who is of Jamaican heritage; this aspect of Atkin’s history provided me with an understanding of how she was able to finance her artistic practice.

During my visit to the Horniman archive, I recorded my thoughts as I looked through her books on British Algae, and this prompted a myriad of personal and theoretical thoughts that explored her methodology, the life of the algae, the aesthetics of the cyanotypes as well as her explorations as a female artist in 19th century. The word ‘extraction’ kept appearing and repeating itself in my mind. I took this as a way of commenting on Atkins’ legacy as well as reflecting on the history of photography which continues to a detrimental to the environment.

I created the series Extraction: In Conversation with Anna Atkins and this series was made as an outcome of my residency at The Horniman Museum & Gardens (April to September 2023). My bleached cyanotypes have been bound as 30 cyanotype plates, in response to Atkins and the popular process she is known for.

The cyanotypes have been bleached (with sodium carbonate), and feature transcription of my words from my visit to Horniman’s archive. Bleaching the cyanotypes provides a way for me to process my feelings and interrupt Atkins's work in a way that allows me to have agency. Altering the aesthetics of the cyanotypes provides a mode of commentary that still acknowledges the origins of Atkins and the cyanotype process whilst providing a vehicle for my nuanced approach to her legacy.

You can read more about my research during my residency here.

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