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Anna Atkins’s role in the narrative of early photography has been widely acknowledged only within the last 40 years. Since the publication of Larry J. Schaaf’s Sun Gardens: Victorian Photograms by Anna Atkins, scholars have built on this groundbreaking research and fortified the larger context of her work. Although now famous for being the first book produced with photographic illustrations, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions has been viewed as an artwork, a scientific document, a rare book, a historical document, and more. This multi-faceted appeal has helped to ensure Atkins's enduring legacy. 

On the occasion of the exhibitions Blue Prints: the Pioneering Photographs of Anna Atkins, The New York Public Library has invited distinguished scholars in the fields of photography, conservation, natural history, and rare books to discuss her photography and its resonance. During this symposium panelists and speakers will discuss this broader context in which she created her momentous production, as well as characteristics unique to Atkins's pioneering work. 

SCHEDULE 
9:30 AM Coffee Reception 

10:00 AM Welcome / Introduction 
Bill Kelly, Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries 
Joshua Chuang, Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Associate Director for Art, Prints and Photographs, and The Robert B. Menschel Senior Curator of Photography 

10:15 AM Anna Atkins, Her Life and Legacy 
Rose Teanby, historian of early women photographers, Associate of the Royal Photographic Society 

10:50 AM Anna Atkins and the Making of Books 
Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian, Bodleian Library, Oxford 

11:25 AM Back to the Roots: On Early Photography 
Steffen Siegel, Professor of Theory & History of Photography at Folkwang University of Arts, Essen, Germany in conversation with Jessica McDonald, The Nancy Inman and Marlene Nathan Meyerson Curator of Photography, Harry Ransom Center 

12:15-1:15 PM Lunch break 

1:15 PM Plant Leaves to Book Leaves: Materials and Methods 
Jessica Keister, Associate Conservator Photographs, NYPL; Kenneth Karol, Cullman Associate Curator, Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics, New York Botanical Garden 

2:00 PM Atkins in Collections: A Panel on Stewardship 
Normand Trudel, Librarian for Rare Books, University of Montreal; Alice Lemaire, Conservator, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Paris; Nancy Barr, Curator of Photographs, Detroit Institute of Arts 

3:00 PM Closing Remarks 

4:00 PM Reception at Penumbra Foundation, 36 E 30th St, New York, NY 10016