Explore a 19th-Century Form of Photography in Marion

Long before digital cameras and the phones that let us capture memories with the tap of the screen, photography was a complex process that involved balancing light and chemicals to make a permanent image. One of these early methods was cyanotype, which was made popular in the mid-1800s thanks to Anna Atkins.

The English botanist would create images in vivid blue shades that captured impressions of plants. She accomplished this not with a camera, but with a mixture of light-sensitive chemicals, sunlight and water. The result was a white impression of a plant against a deep blue background. Although this method has become a lost art in modern times, cyanotypes are back in the limelight this fall as part of an exhibition at The Ohio State University Marion. 

Opening Oct. 21, “Grasses in Sun and Shadow” showcases the art of cyanotype at Morrill Hall’s Wayne and Geraldine Kuhn Fine Arts Gallery. The exhibition features cyanotypes that were made by members of the campus community. Each spent time out in nature at the university’s Larry R. Yoder Prairie Learning Center to create images that reflect the natural world, all without using a camera. Rather, they used Atkins’ traditional cyanotype-making process. 

“In an era increasingly defined by virtual experiences, it was refreshing to work with these individuals beneath the sun, tracing the fleeting shadows of the prairie’s grasses, flowers and leaves,” said Shannon in an Oct. 15, 2025, press release. “I invite you to revisit the gallery throughout the month as the seasons change beyond each carefully crafted impression, forever preserved in blue and white.”

Shannon’s artwork largely focuses on the connection between photographs and memory and materials set against the backdrop of the digital age in which we life. She is also The Ohio State University’s 2025 artist laureate. “Grasses in Sun and Shadow” runs through Nov. 13 and is free to the public. 

For more information on the exhibition, visit osumarion.osu.edu.

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