Sir John Herschel, a friend of Atkins and Children, invented the cyanotype photographic process in 1842.
Within a year, Atkins applied the process to algae (specifically, seaweed) by making cyanotype photograms that were contact printed "by placing the unmounted dried-algae original directly on the cyanotype paper".

Atkins self-published her photograms in the first installment of Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in October 1843.
She planned to provide illustrations to William Harvey’s Manual of British Algae which had been published in 1841.
Although privately published, with a limited number of copies, and with handwritten text, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions is considered the first book illustrated with photographic images.

Eight months later, in June 1844, the first fascicle of William Henry Fox Talbot's The Pencil of Nature was released; that book was the "first photographically illustrated book to be commercially published" or "the first commercially published book illustrated with photographs".

Atkins produced a total of three volumes of Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions between 1843 and 1853.
Only 17 copies of the book are known to exist, in various states of completeness.
Copies are now held by the following institutions, among others:
British Library, London, which provides scans of 429 pages of its copy (which has extra plates) online.
She presented these volumes to the British Museum via J. E. Gray between 1843 and 1853.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

New York Public Library, which provides scans of 285 pages of its copy online.

The Royal Society, London, whose copy with 403 pages and 389 plates is thought to be the only existing copy of the book as Atkins intended.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, holds a number of original works in their library.

The Linnean Society of London, whose copy lacks part 7 of volume 1.

The Horniman Museum and Gardens holds a particularly complete copy with 14 pages of text and 443 plates.
She provided plates with additional images of the same species when she found a better example, and these duplicates have been retained in this copy.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Université de Montréal, Montreal
Because of the book's rarity and historical importance, it is quite expensive.
One copy of the book with 411 plates in three volumes sold for £133,500 at auction in 1996.
Another copy with 382 prints in two volumes which was owned by scientist Robert Hunt (1807–1887) sold for £229,250 at auction in 2004.

In 2018, the New York Public Library opened an exhibition on Atkins' life and work, featuring various versions of Photographs of British Algae.
Sir John Herschel, a friend of Atkins and Children, invented the cyanotype photographic process in 1842. Within a year, Atkins applied the process to algae (specifically, seaweed) by making cyanotype photograms that were contact printed "by placing the unmounted dried-algae original directly on the cyanotype paper".
Atkins self-published her photograms in the first installment of Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in October 1843. She planned to provide illustrations to William Harvey’s Manual of British Algae which had been published in 1841. Although privately published, with a limited number of copies, and with handwritten text, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions is considered the first book illustrated with photographic images.
Eight months later, in June 1844, the first fascicle of William Henry Fox Talbot's The Pencil of Nature was released; that book was the "first photographically illustrated book to be commercially published" or "the first commercially published book illustrated with photographs".
Atkins produced a total of three volumes of Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions between 1843 and 1853. Only 17 copies of the book are known to exist, in various states of completeness. Copies are now held by the following institutions, among others:
British Library, London, which provides scans of 429 pages of its copy (which has extra plates) online. She presented these volumes to the British Museum via J. E. Gray between 1843 and 1853.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
New York Public Library, which provides scans of 285 pages of its copy online.
The Royal Society, London, whose copy with 403 pages and 389 plates is thought to be the only existing copy of the book as Atkins intended.
The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, holds a number of original works in their library.
The Linnean Society of London, whose copy lacks part 7 of volume 1.
The Horniman Museum and Gardens holds a particularly complete copy with 14 pages of text and 443 plates. She provided plates with additional images of the same species when she found a better example, and these duplicates have been retained in this copy. 
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Université de Montréal, Montreal
Because of the book's rarity and historical importance, it is quite expensive. One copy of the book with 411 plates in three volumes sold for £133,500 at auction in 1996. Another copy with 382 prints in two volumes which was owned by scientist Robert Hunt (1807–1887) sold for £229,250 at auction in 2004.
In 2018, the New York Public Library opened an exhibition on Atkins' life and work, featuring various versions of Photographs of British Algae.
Anna Atkins