CASE STUDY
ELIZABETH BLACKWELL
(1707-1758)
Elizabeth Blackwell, a pioneering figure in the field of botanical illustration, is best known as the author and artist of A Curious Herbal, a comprehensive herbal compendium published between 1737 and 1739 that contained an incredible 500 illustrations. Blackwell embarked on this ambitious project out of necessity, aiming to support her husband, who was imprisoned for debt.
While working on her herbal, she took lodgings in Swan Walk, next to the Chelsea Physic Garden, where she meticulously sketched plant specimens. Her time was divided between this detailed botanical work and visiting her husband in Marshalsea Prison, where he provided guidance on botanical nomenclature.
In the summer of 1735, Blackwell sought the support of Sir Hans Sloane, armed with a letter of introduction from the Scottish physician Alexander Stuart. Stuart’s letter emphasised her respectable family connections and described her as a ‘very ingenious person’ with a plan to illustrate a comprehensive herbal based on the Royal College of Physicians’ most recent dispensatory (Sloane MS 4054, f. 90).1 Sloane’s residence in Chelsea, conveniently located near the Physic Garden and Blackwell’s lodgings, granted her easy access to his extensive collection of foreign plant specimens.
Illustration of the flower, berries, and seeds of a dragon plant, from A Curious Herbal, by Elizabeth Blackwell, Plate 269. Hand-Coloured Engraving, 1737–1739. © British Library, Rare Books, 452.f.2.
A Curious Herbal received widespread acclaim from surgeons, doctors, and apothecaries, with its highest commendation coming from the Royal College of Physicians.
PRINTS
Despite this recognition, and Elizabeth Blackwell’s connection with Sloane, at first glance, she only appears once in the SLKB: in an entry describing an etching of a powdery fungus resembling a turret, given to Sloane by a ‘Mr Blackstone’. In the late 1730s Blackwell issued many of her etchings from A Curious Herbal as individual prints costing one shilling each, providing a steady stream of money to secure her husband’s release. It is likely that this etching of the fungus was one of these prints.
A print screen of the Sloane Lab Knowledge Base (Pictures Entry 400) referencing ‘Elizb. Blackwell’.
Though the location of this specific drawing owned by Hans Sloane is unknown, there is what appears to be an identical etching affixed to the endpaper of an edition of A Curious Herbal held at Gonville and Caius Library, Cambridge University (L.19.19, volume 1).2
CORAL SPECIMENS
However, closer examination of A Curious Herbal reveals several intriguing connections to Sloane’s collection.
Blackwell frequently cited specific specimens from Sloane’s repository, often with remarkable detail and precision. His coral collection is referenced twice. In the eighteenth century, corals were commonly classified as plants and believed to have medicinal properties, which is why Blackwell included them in her herbal.
In Plate 342 Blackwell highlights a specimen of true white coral: ‘This specimen was taken from a branch in Sir Hans Sloane’s unparalleled Collection & is Number 178 in his Cabinet, being one of the greatest rarities there.’ Likewise, plate 344 describes a coral ‘of a shining black colour’, ‘taken from a piece in Sir Hans Sloane’s Cabinet & numbered 527.’ Thanks to Blackwell’s meticulous cataloguing, it is possible to trace these entries within the SLKB, offering a tangible connection between her work and Sloane’s collection.
Plate 342 ‘True White Coral’, Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, Vol. 1, via the National Library of Medicine, Digital Collections.
Plate 527 ‘Black Coral’, Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, Vol. 1, via the National Library of Medicine, Digital Collections.
BOTANICAL SPECIMENS
There are nine more references to Sloane’s collection within A Curious Herbal, primarily featuring specimens from the East or West Indies. In my research, I was able to locate several corresponding specimens within Sloane’s herbaria, many of which were collected during his voyage to Jamaica.
However, identifying specific plant specimens referenced by Blackwell posed a challenge due to the evolving botanical nomenclature. The names used by Blackwell often differed from those initially catalogued by the Natural History Museum in the 19th century, as well as their modern classifications.
To navigate these discrepancies, I utilised the International Plant Names Index alongside the NHM’s Data Portal. Interestingly, some of Blackwell’s illustrations not only resemble the physical form of the dried specimens but also echo the compositional style of the illustrations Sloane commissioned for his Natural History of Jamaica, including the placement of branches, leaves, and fruit.
This cross-referencing not only highlights the direct influence of Sloane’s specimens on Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal but also underscores the collaborative nature of botanical science in the 18th century. It is a testament to how interconnected the scientific community was, with knowledge and resources being shared, referenced, and built upon across different works and disciplines.
Left: Guaiacum officinale L. collected in Jamaica and recorded by Sir Hans Sloane, © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum.
Right: Plate 350, ‘Pockwood’ Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, Vol. 1, via the National Library of Medicine, Digital Collections.
Left: Plate 355, ‘Jamaica Pepper’. Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, Vol. 1, via the National Library of Medicine, Digital Collections.
Right: Myrtus dioica L. collected in Jamaica and recorded by Sir Hans Sloane.
Left: Guaiacum officinale L. collected in Jamaica and recorded by Sir Hans Sloane, © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum.
Middle: Plate 350, ‘Pockwood’ Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, Vol. 1, via the National Library of Medicine, Digital Collections.
Right: Sloane’s corresponding illustration of Guaiacum officinale L by Everard Kick. © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum.
Left: Laurus winterana L. collected in Jamaica and recorded by Hans Sloane, © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum.
Middle: ACH Plate 354 ‘Cinnamon’, Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, Vol. 1, via the National Library of Medicine, Digital Collections.
Right: Sloane’s corresponding illustration of Laurus winterana L by Everard Kick. © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum.
Left: Plate 356, ‘Long Pepper’ Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, Vol. 1, via the National Library of Medicine, Digital Collections.
Right: Sloane Vegetable Substance No. 1211. © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum.
LIBRARY
According to Sloane’s catalogues of his library and manuscripts, he personally owned a copy of A Curious Herbal, as noted on page 3450 of Sloane MS 3972C Vol. 8, a reference I located through the name index in Sloane MS 3972D.
For some time, I couldn’t determine the location of this copy. However, I consulted a copy of A Curious Herbal at the Natural History Museum (NHM) that bears the distinctive black Museum Britannicum stamp — an indicator strongly suggesting Sloane’s ownership.3
Microfilm of Sir Hans Sloane’s Catalogues of His Library and Manuscripts (Sloane MS 3972c8, p. 3450), © British Library.
Although this copy does not include a pressmark corresponding to the one detailed in Sloane MS 3972C Vol. 8, it is important to consider that some books were rebound over time, potentially removing original covers and flyleaves, leading to the loss of identifying marks. This particular copy also includes a printed dedication to Hans Sloane where Blackwell thanks him for his ‘generous assistance’ providing access to his foreign plant specimens. Blackwell’s dedication to Sloane appears in approximately twenty percent of editions,4 so its presence here strongly suggests that this volume may have formed part of his collection.
The title page of Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, (Volume One) showing the Museum Britannicum stamp. Natural History Museum Library and Archives, Botany Rare Books, 615.10. © the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.
The dedication to Hans Sloane, in Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, (Volume Two), Natural History Museum Library and Archives, Botany Rare Books, 615.10. © the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.
Download the Dataset
Available as an Excel file (.xlsx) or in CSV format.
This dataset is designed as an initial step in understanding and expanding the representation of women within Hans Sloane’s collections via the Sloane Lab Knowledge Base.
It offers a snapshot of the various ways women are documented and represented, detailing their roles (e.g., artist, author), the type of entries associated with them, and additional contextual information.
Download the Guide
Available as a PDF file in both double-page & single-page view.
This guide is part of a broader effort to enhance how narratives of marginalised individuals are accessed, understood, and valued within the SLKB.
This research was generously funded by University College London (UCL) through The Sloane Lab, one of five ‘Discovery Projects’ under the Towards a National Collection initiative, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
- Tyson, Janet Stiles. ‘Introducing Elizabeth Blackwell to Hans Sloane’. Untold Lives – The British Library, 18 May 2021, https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2021/05/introducing-elizabeth-blackwell-to-hans-sloane.html. ↩︎
- Tyson, Janet Stiles. A Curious Undertaking: Elizabeth Blackwell’s Collaborative Making of an Illustrated Herbal in Georgian London. 2021. Birkbeck, University of London, phd. eprints.bbk.ac.uk, https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/47541/. ↩︎
- Walker, Alison. ‘Lost in Plain Sight: Rediscovering the Library of Sir Hans Sloane’. Lost Books: Reconstructing the Print World of Pre-Industrial Europe, Brill, 2016, p. 90. ↩︎
- See Janet Stiles Tyson’s survey on p. 245-53 of A Curious Undertaking: Elizabeth Blackwell’s Collaborative Making of an Illustrated Herbal in Georgian London. 2021. Birkbeck, University of London, phd. eprints.bbk.ac.uk, https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/47541/. ↩︎