Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell (1699–1758) was a pioneering 18th-century botanical artist and the first British woman to produce a 

herbal. She is best known for her monumental work, A Curious Herbal (1737–1739), which documented medicinal plants used by physicians of the era. 

Artist Summary

• A Curious Herbal: Blackwell single-handedly drew, engraved, and hand-colored 500 illustrations of medicinal plants. The work was published in weekly installments of four plates each over two years.

• Technique & Style: Her illustrations, often featuring entire plants with roots and separate flower structures, were designed for scientific and medical identification. She was among the first botanical artists to perform the entire production process—drawing, etching, and engraving—personally to save costs.

• Primary Subject: Most specimens were drawn from life at the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, under the guidance of its curator, Isaac Rand.

• Historical Impact: The herbal was formally endorsed by the Royal College of Physicians and remains a significant record of early pharmaceutical history. Noted botanist Carl Linnaeus admired her work, referring to her as "Botanica Blackwellia". 

Personal Legacy

Blackwell created the herbal out of financial necessity to free her husband, Alexander Blackwell, from a debtor's prison. While he provided the plant descriptions from his cell, her artistic talent and business acumen secured his release. Despite her success, her life ended in relative obscurity following her husband's later execution for treason in Sweden.