Photographed at my workplace in the Bronx, this Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) offered a simple reminder that beauty can be found everywhere, if one looks. Native to Mexico and Central America, the species has been widely cultivated as an ornamental far beyond its native range.

The flower’s journey into gardens around the world also reflects a broader history of plants crossing borders through horticulture, collecting, and exchange. In much the same way, human travel and cultural exchange, when guided by curiosity, respect, and reciprocity, allow ideas, traditions, and perspectives to move between communities. Like a plant taking root in new soil without losing the character of its origins, people can carry their heritage into new places while learning from others. These encounters can cultivate understanding, inspire new forms of creativity, and make the world more connected, generous, and beautiful.

To mark Anna Atkins’ pioneering work in botanical imagery, the first half of the photo was converted into an Anna Atkins-style cyanotype. Atkins used the cyanotype process to create Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, begun in 1843, the first book illustrated with photographic images. The second half presents the actual flower, placing one of photography’s earliest botanical processes beside a contemporary photographic record.

The right-most section of the flower was cropped. This leaves the future of photography to the imagination.

The original noisy background was replaced with a solid background to remove distraction and bring the flower’s form and color forward. The flower remains the subject as photographed, while the presentation emphasizes the ideas at the heart of the image concerning the evolution of botanical photography and that beauty can be found in ordinary places whenever we take the time to look.

World Photography Day celebrates France's gifting daguerreotypes invented by Louis Daguerre and Nicéphore Niépce to the world on August 19, 1839.