Introduction: A Tale of Two Elizabeth Blackwells
The annals of history occasionally present us with figures sharing the same name, leading to potential confusion yet highlighting distinct achievements. Such is the case with Elizabeth Blackwell. It is crucial at the outset to distinguish Elizabeth Blackwell (1707-1758), the subject of this exploration – a pioneering Scottish botanical illustrator – from her later namesake, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910), the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. Our focus here is firmly on the 18th-century artist whose remarkable work, A Curious Herbal, stands as a testament to her artistic skill, scientific acumen, and unwavering determination in the face of adversity. Her story is one of talent, necessity, and a significant contribution to both botanical art and pharmaceutical knowledge in her time.
Early Life and Circumstances
Born Elizabeth Simpson in Aberdeen, Scotland, around 1707, relatively little is documented about her early life and artistic training. It is generally believed she came from a well-to-do merchant family, which might have afforded her some education, possibly including drawing, a common accomplishment for young ladies of a certain standing. Her life took a decisive turn when she married her cousin, Alexander Blackwell. Alexander was a physician by training, though his path was fraught with professional and financial instability.
The couple moved to London, seeking better prospects. However, Alexander's ventures often skirted or crossed legal boundaries. He attempted to establish himself as a printer, but having not served the required apprenticeship, he incurred heavy fines. Later, he practiced medicine without the proper license, which led to further debts and ultimately, his imprisonment in High Holborn for debt. This dire situation became the catalyst for Elizabeth Blackwell's most significant artistic undertaking.
The Genesis of A Curious Herbal
Faced with her husband's incarceration and the pressing need for financial support, Elizabeth Blackwell conceived an ambitious project: to create a comprehensive illustrated herbal. At this time, in the 1730s, there was a genuine need for an updated and accurate guide to medicinal plants. Existing herbals, such as those by John Gerard (whose Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes of 1597, later revised by Thomas Johnson in 1633, was still influential) or Nicholas Culpeper (whose The English Physitian, or Complete Herbal, of 1652 was popular but less scientifically rigorous by 18th-century standards), were becoming outdated or lacked high-quality, true-to-life illustrations.
Blackwell astutely identified this gap. She moved to Swan Walk, near the Chelsea Physic Garden, a renowned institution founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. This location was strategic, providing her with direct access to a vast collection of medicinal plants, many of which were new to Britain, sourced from around the world. The proximity to such a rich botanical resource was invaluable.
The Creation Process: Art, Science, and Dedication
The production of A Curious Herbal was a remarkable feat of solo endeavor and resourcefulness. Elizabeth Blackwell undertook almost every aspect of its creation. She would visit the Chelsea Physic Garden to make sketches and studies of the plants directly from life. This commitment to observing living specimens ensured a high degree of accuracy in her depictions, a crucial factor for a work intended for medicinal use.
Once she had her drawings, Blackwell then engraved them onto copper plates herself. This was a highly skilled and physically demanding task, typically dominated by male artisans. Her ability to master this craft speaks volumes about her talent and dedication. After engraving, she also hand-colored the printed plates, or at least the master copies that would serve as guides for other colorists if the work was produced in larger quantities. This multi-faceted involvement was unusual, especially for a woman in the 18th century.
While Elizabeth focused on the illustrations, her husband Alexander, despite being imprisoned, contributed by providing the Latin names of the plants and brief descriptions of their medicinal properties, drawing on his medical knowledge. It is said that Isaac Rand, the curator (Praefectus Horti) of the Chelsea Physic Garden at the time, and other prominent figures like the physician Sir Hans Sloane, encouraged her project and facilitated her access to the Garden's specimens. Sloane, a preeminent collector whose collections would form the basis of the British Museum, was a significant figure in London's scientific community, and his endorsement would have been valuable.
A Curious Herbal: Content and Artistic Style
A Curious Herbal, Containing Five Hundred Cuts, of the most useful Plants, which are now used in the Practice of Physick. Engraved on folio Copper plates, after Drawings, taken from the Life. By Elizabeth Blackwell. To which is added a short Description of ye Plants; and their Common Uses in Physick was published in weekly installments between 1737 and 1739. It eventually comprised two folio volumes, each containing 250 plates, totaling 500 illustrations.
Blackwell's artistic style is characterized by clarity, accuracy, and a certain unpretentious charm. Her primary aim was botanical identification for medicinal purposes, so scientific fidelity trumped purely aesthetic flourish. The plants are typically depicted with their roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and sometimes fruits or seeds, providing a comprehensive visual guide. While perhaps not possessing the same level of polished, almost hyper-real botanical perfection seen in the work of her slightly later contemporary Georg Dionysius Ehret, a German botanical artist who also worked in England and was renowned for his exquisite detail, Blackwell's illustrations had a directness and practical utility that was highly valued.
Her linework in the engravings is clear and descriptive. The hand-coloring, often delicate, aimed to represent the natural hues of the plants. Compared to the often stylized or sometimes crude woodcuts found in earlier herbals, Blackwell's copperplate engravings offered a significant improvement in detail and refinement. Her work can be seen as part of a broader trend in the 18th century towards more scientifically accurate botanical illustration, a field that would later see masterpieces from artists like Pierre-Joseph Redouté in France, famous for his roses and lilies, and the Bauer brothers, Franz Bauer and Ferdinand Bauer, whose meticulous work set new standards for scientific botanical art.
The text accompanying each plate included the plant's Latin name (often according to the systems predating Linnaeus, though the Linnaean system was developing during this period), common English names, and a summary of its purported medicinal uses. This made the herbal an invaluable reference for apothecaries, physicians, and even laypeople interested in traditional remedies.
Reception and Impact
A Curious Herbal was a considerable success. It received commendations from the Royal College of Physicians, which was a significant endorsement. The quality of the illustrations, combined with the practical information, met a real need. The financial proceeds from the sale of the herbal were substantial enough for Elizabeth to secure her husband Alexander's release from prison.
The work's success also brought Elizabeth Blackwell recognition as a skilled botanical artist. In an era when women had limited professional opportunities, particularly in scientific fields, her achievement was notable. She joined a small but significant group of women who made contributions to botanical illustration, such as Maria Sibylla Merian, whose earlier work on the insects and plants of Suriname (published 1705) was groundbreaking for its artistry and scientific observation from life. Blackwell's work, however, was more directly focused on the pharmacopoeia.
The herbal's utility extended beyond Britain. It was recognized for its value on the continent as well. This international regard would lead to a later, expanded edition of her work.
Alexander Blackwell's Subsequent Misadventures and Tragic End
Unfortunately, Alexander Blackwell did not seem to learn from his past mistakes. After his release, he became involved in various agricultural schemes. He eventually moved to Sweden in the 1740s, leaving Elizabeth and their children in London. In Sweden, he initially found favor with King Frederick I, working on an estate and even being appointed as a court physician, despite his questionable credentials.
However, Alexander's ambition and poor judgment once again led him into trouble. He became entangled in a political plot concerning the royal succession. Accused of treason against the Swedish crown, he was arrested, tried, and ultimately executed by beheading in Stockholm in 1747. This tragic end to her husband's life must have been a devastating blow to Elizabeth.
Herbarium Blackwellianum Emendatum et Auctum
Despite the personal tragedy, Elizabeth Blackwell's reputation as a botanical illustrator endured. In 1747, the same year as Alexander's execution, Dr. Christoph Jacob Trew, a prominent physician and botanist in Nuremberg, Germany, began to plan a new, expanded, and improved edition of A Curious Herbal. Trew was a significant figure in the European botanical world, a contemporary of Carl Linnaeus, whose system of binomial nomenclature was revolutionizing botanical classification. Trew amassed a vast collection of botanical illustrations and corresponded with botanists and artists across Europe.
This new edition, titled Herbarium Blackwellianum Emendatum et Auctum, was published in Nuremberg in six volumes between 1750 and 1773 (some sources state 1750-1760 for the initial volumes with her plates, with further additions later). It featured Blackwell's original 500 plates, which were re-engraved and colored by Nicolaus Friedrich Eisenberger, a skilled Nuremberg artist. Trew added new plants and updated the botanical descriptions, incorporating the Linnaean system of classification, making it even more scientifically valuable. This German edition further solidified Blackwell's international reputation and ensured the longevity of her work. It is a testament to the quality of her original drawings that they formed the basis of such a significant continental publication.
The Herbarium Blackwellianum often featured more elaborate coloring and sometimes slightly different compositions than the original London edition, reflecting the stylistic preferences of Eisenberger and the standards of German botanical publishing at the time. Artists like Barbara Regina Dietzsch and her family were also active in Nuremberg, producing highly detailed and beautifully colored botanical and zoological illustrations, indicating a strong tradition of such art in that city.
Later Life and Death
After the publication of the initial London edition of A Curious Herbal and her husband's departure for Sweden, Elizabeth Blackwell seems to have lived a more private life. The success of her herbal likely provided her with some financial stability. She continued to reside in Chelsea, London.
Elizabeth Blackwell passed away on October 29, 1758, and was buried in the churchyard of Chelsea Old Church. Her death occurred before the complete publication of Trew's expanded German edition of her work, but her legacy was already secured.
Artistic Contemporaries and the Wider Context of Botanical Art
Elizabeth Blackwell worked during a vibrant period for natural history illustration. Besides those already mentioned (Merian, Ehret, Redouté, the Bauers, Gerard, Culpeper, Linnaeus, Sloane), several other figures contributed to the rich tapestry of botanical art and science.
Mark Catesby, an English naturalist, published his Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands between 1729 and 1747, featuring his own etchings of North American flora and fauna. While his style was perhaps less refined than some European botanical artists, his work was pioneering in its depiction of New World species.
In the Netherlands, artists like Jan van Huysum were famous for their lush flower paintings, though these were more often still lifes for aesthetic enjoyment rather than purely scientific botanical records. However, the Dutch tradition of meticulous observation of nature certainly influenced botanical art.
The tradition of the "florilegium," a collection of illustrations of flowers, often prized for their beauty rather than medicinal use, also flourished. Works like the Hortus Eystettensis by Basilius Besler (published 1613) were monumental early examples, showcasing the plants in a specific garden with large, impressive engravings.
Blackwell's A Curious Herbal sits at a fascinating intersection: it is scientifically purposed, yet her hand in drawing, engraving, and coloring gives it an undeniable artistic quality. It was a practical tool, but also a beautiful object. Her achievement is amplified by the fact that she was a woman operating in a largely male domain, driven by necessity but clearly possessing innate talent.
Historical Evaluation and Legacy
Elizabeth Blackwell's A Curious Herbal is a significant work in the history of botanical illustration and pharmacognosy. Its key contributions and her legacy can be summarized as follows:
1. Practical Utility: It provided an up-to-date, illustrated guide to medicinal plants for apothecaries and physicians at a time when such a resource was needed. The inclusion of plants from the New World, available at the Chelsea Physic Garden, was particularly valuable.
2. Artistic Merit: Blackwell demonstrated considerable skill as a draftswoman, engraver, and colorist. Her illustrations are clear, accurate, and aesthetically pleasing, effectively conveying the identifying features of each plant.
3. Pioneering Role for a Woman: In an era with limited professional avenues for women, Blackwell's undertaking of such a large-scale, multi-skilled project was exceptional. She managed the research, illustration, engraving, and initial publication largely on her own.
4. Economic Empowerment: The herbal was a direct response to financial crisis, and its success provided the means to free her husband and support her family, showcasing a remarkable instance of a woman using her artistic talents for economic survival and agency.
5. Influence and Longevity: The work was popular in Britain and influential enough to be republished and expanded in Germany, ensuring its continued use and recognition for decades. It remains a valuable historical document for understanding 18th-century medicine and botany.
While later botanical illustrators, benefiting from further scientific advancements and perhaps more formal training, achieved even greater levels of detail and artistic sophistication (e.g., Walter Hood Fitch in the 19th century, who became the principal artist for Curtis's Botanical Magazine), Blackwell's achievement, given her circumstances and the period, is remarkable.
Her work is preserved in major libraries and botanical institutions worldwide, including the British Library, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the New York Botanical Garden. Copies of A Curious Herbal are prized by collectors and studied by historians of science, medicine, and art.
Conclusion: An Enduring Bloom
Elizabeth Blackwell's story is a compelling narrative of resilience, talent, and enterprise. Driven by the urgent need to rescue her family from financial ruin, she harnessed her artistic abilities to produce a work of lasting scientific and aesthetic value. A Curious Herbal stands not only as a crucial reference in the history of medicinal botany but also as a monument to a woman who, against considerable odds, carved out a significant place for herself in the scientific and artistic landscape of 18th-century London. Her meticulous illustrations continue to inform and delight, ensuring that Elizabeth Blackwell's contribution, like the plants she so carefully depicted, remains an enduring bloom in the garden of art history.
