Cyanotype
Object NameCyanotype
MediumCyanotype
Dimensions7 × 15 in. (17.8 × 38.1 cm)
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineGift of Mary Barton. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number75.10.4
Status
Not on viewCollections
Label TextThe Cyanotype process was first introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842. The Cyanotype method generally involves coating paper or other absorbent material like fabric with a mixture of iron salt and potassium ferricyanide; placing a flat item of interest like a fern frond or cut letters on top of the paper and holding it in place under a piece of glass; exposing the entire assembly to sunlight for several minutes; and then rinsing the paper with water once the item has been removed. The result is a negative image surrounded by a bright Prussian blue or cyan color. Cyanotype is considered a photography method and experienced a non-professional spike in “folk art” created in the home by women with examples on quilts, pillowcases, and framed like this example.
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Farm House Museum
Object Name: Dominoes set with box
Embossing Company
c. 1900
Object number: 78.16.13a-fff
Object Name: Architectural Ornamentation
Harold W. Cummings
Object number: U2011.183a-l