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Lygodion Microphyllum (Australia)

Anna Atkins British
ca. 1851–54
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
This delightful dancing pattern of fern stems is actually from a single plant, Lygodium microphyllum, also known as Old World climbing fern. Native to Africa, Asia, and Australia, it is an invasive weed in the United States, where it is posing a threat to conservation lands in South Florida. The specimen here formed part of a unique 1854 album, "Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Flowering Plants and Ferns," given by pioneering photographer Atkins to her friend and collaborator, Anne Dixon. The cyanotype process is commonly called the blue-print process, used (until recently) by architects to duplicate their line drawings.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lygodion Microphyllum (Australia)
  • Artist: Anna Atkins (British, 1799–1871)
  • Date: ca. 1851–54
  • Medium: Cyanotype
  • Dimensions:

    13 9/16 x 9 11/16 in. (34.5 x 24.6 cm); Mount: 18 7/8 x 14 3/4 in.

  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Promised Gift of Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary
  • Object Number: L.2021.1.1
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs