Pl. 88 "Lettice"

Elizabeth Blackwell (c.1700-1758) produced only one botanical work, yet it was such an important addition to botanical literature that her name is included in most references devoted to the great antique flower books. The story of how Mrs. Blackwell came to produce this tome, A Curious Herbal, reads like a Victorian novel.

When her husband landed in debtor’s prison, Elizabeth devised the means of freeing him. She learned from the eminent natural historian, Sir Hans Sloan that there was a need for a comprehensive book on medicinal plants so she sketched the plants she saw there. She ended by producing 500 drawings of medicinally useful plants which she then engraved and colored.  From his prison cell, her husband who had been a medical doctor and a printer helped her to write the accompanying text containing descriptions of the plants and their parts and detailed descriptions of their medicinal uses. The book made enough money to free Dr. Blackwell from prison, but, unfortunately, he was a man drawn to trouble and he was condemned to death by the Swedish king.

The engravings from A Curious Herbal are fascinating early 18th century botanicals, wonderfully simple in their depiction, with the parts of the plants carefully labeled and Mrs. Blackwell’s instrumental role in their production recorded below each image in the words “Eliz. Blackwell delin. sculp.et pinx.”  The accompanying text contains quaint observations concerning the medical uses of the plant and where it can be found.

Copperplate engraving with original coloring.
14 ½ x 9 ¾ inches, sheet.
Excellent condition.