The anthotype is the most gentle, natural, and ephemeral of all photographic processes — an image made using the photosensitive pigments found in flowers, leaves, berries, and other plant materials. The process was first described by Sir John Herschel in 1842, and it requires no silver, no iron, no chemicals at all beyond those extracted from plants. A coating of plant pigment is applied to paper, a contact negative or stencil is placed over it, and the paper is exposed to sunlight for days, weeks, or even months. The UV radiation bleaches the exposed pigment, leaving the unexposed areas (protected by the negative or stencil) darker. The result is a delicate, pastel-coloured image that embodies the intersection of photography, botany, and patience. The anthotype is not a permanent process — the pigments that form the image are inherently fugitive and will eventually fade — but this impermanence is part of its poetic appeal. This guide covers the history, pigment extraction, paper preparation, exposure, and the philosophical beauty of the anthotype.
Herschel's Botanical Photography
Sir John Herschel — whose contributions to photography include the cyanotype, the chrysotype, the word "photography" itself, and the use of sodium thiosulphate as a fixer — investigated plant pigments as photosensitive materials in his 1842 paper "On the Action of the Rays of the Solar Spectrum on Vegetable Colours." He tested dozens of plant juices and classified them by their sensitivity to light and their colours. Among the most sensitive were the juices of red poppies, cornflowers, violets, and various berries. Herschel recognised that the anthotype was impractical for permanent photography but valued it as a scientific demonstration of the photosensitivity of organic pigments.
Pigment Extraction
Almost any brightly coloured plant material can be used as an anthotype pigment. Common sources include: red cabbage juice (which produces purple-blue coatings), beetroot juice (deep magenta-red), turmeric (bright yellow), spinach (green), marigold petals (yellow-orange), red rose petals (pink), and blueberries or blackberries (deep purple). Extract the pigment by crushing the plant material in a mortar and pestle with a small amount of water or alcohol (vodka works well). Strain through a fine cloth. The resulting juice is the sensitiser. Different plants produce different colours and have different sensitivities to UV light — experimentation is essential and part of the joy of the process.
Paper Preparation and Coating
Use smooth, heavy watercolour paper or fine art paper. Coat the paper with the plant pigment juice using a wide, soft brush. Apply several coats, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. The goal is a deep, even, saturated colour — the deeper the colour, the more contrast the final image will have. Dry each coat away from direct sunlight. Multiple coats build up pigment density; three to six coats is typical. The coating colour will be the colour of the unexposed areas in the final image — the exposed areas will bleach toward the white of the paper.
Exposure
Place a contact negative, a botanical specimen, a paper stencil, or any flat object over the coated paper. Secure in a contact printing frame or under glass. Expose in direct sunlight. Exposure times are long — days to weeks to months, depending on the pigment, the intensity of the sunlight, and the season. The most sensitive pigments (turmeric, red cabbage) may bleach sufficiently in strong summer sunlight in one to three days. Less sensitive pigments may require weeks. Check progress periodically. The image forms as the UV light bleaches the exposed pigment; the areas protected by the negative or object remain dark. There is no development step and no fixing — the image is complete when the desired bleaching has occurred.
Permanence and Impermanence
The anthotype image is inherently impermanent. The same pigments that bleach in sunlight to form the image will continue to bleach if the print is exposed to further light. There is no known fixative that will permanently stabilise anthotype pigments. The prints can be preserved by storing in darkness — protected from light, the pigments will remain stable for years or even decades. Some pigments are more stable than others: turmeric is relatively lightfast, while berry pigments tend to fade more quickly. The impermanence of the anthotype is both its limitation and its beauty — it makes each anthotype a meditation on time, light, and transience.
The Anthotype as Art and Pedagogy
The anthotype has found a new audience among contemporary artists, educators, and environmentally conscious practitioners. It requires no toxic chemicals, no darkroom, no expensive equipment — just plants, paper, sunlight, and patience. It is an ideal process for teaching the fundamentals of photography to children and beginners. It connects photography to the natural world in the most direct possible way — the image is literally made from flowers and sunlight. Contemporary artists use the anthotype to explore themes of ephemerality, ecology, time, and the relationship between nature and image-making. The anthotype is photography at its most elemental and its most poetic.
The anthotype — flowers, sunlight, and patience: photography from nature itself.
No chemicals, no darkroom — just plant pigment bleached by light. View the portfolio.
