Elizabeth Blackwell's Curious Herbal
Elizabeth Blackwell (1699-1758) was a Scottish botanical illustrator, best known for her A Curious Herbal. Published in weekly instalments between 1737 and 1739, and including 500 illustrations, Blackwell'sA Curious Herbal was the first significant herbal to be produced by a British woman and a major achievement in the fields of medical botany and botanical illustration.
Blackwell compiled her Curious Herbal at the instigation of Sir Hans Sloane, as a means of raising money to redeem her husband, Alexander Blackwell (1709-1747), from imprisonment for debt. On the advice of Isaac Rand she rented a house opposite the Chelsea Physic Garden, and used that as her source of plants.
Blackwell compiled her Curious Herbal at the instigation of Sir Hans Sloane, as a means of raising money to redeem her husband, Alexander Blackwell (1709-1747), from imprisonment for debt. On the advice of Isaac Rand she rented a house opposite the Chelsea Physic Garden, and used that as her source of plants.