In this series, we honor pioneering botanical artist Elizabeth Blackwell with this gorgeous curated collection of her engravings of medicinal plants. Blackwell, recognized as the first British female herbalist, methodically produced her hand-drawn, etched, and engraved, hand-colored illustrations for A Curious Herbal, which was published in installments from 1737 to 1739. The artist published four plates and a page of text per week, totaling 500 meticulous illustrations. The complete work was published in two volumes, titled A Curious Herbal containing five hundred cuts of the most useful plants, which are now used in the practice of physick, to which is added a short description of ye plants and their common uses in physick.

A book of plants, known as a herbal, describes their appearance, healing properties, and instructions for preparing medicines. The earliest records of plants used for medicinal purposes date back 5,000 years from Egypt and China. Discorides, a Greek physician, wrote De materia medica in AD 65, which was the principal record of medicinal plants until the end of the 17th century.

Each fine art print in this series showcases the extraordinary artistic skill of the original Blackwell botanical illustrations on a background of 24 karat gold. Lightweight, durable, and collectible, these exquisite fine art prints represent the blending of cutting-edge technology and timeless lithographic artwork.

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Elizabeth came from a wealthy merchant family, providing her with a good education. Her studies included art and languages, which would be useful in her future work on A Curious Herbal. Blackwell drew her inspiration from the plant specimens in the Chelsea Physic Garden, London. This four-acre garden was established in 1673 with the express purpose of growing and studying plants to be used as medicines. Blackwell’s herbal was highly praised by prominent physicians and apothecaries of the day.

While Blackwell’s intricate botanical illustrations are remarkable in their own right, the strange circumstances that inspired the creation of her herbal also make them memorable. Self-taught in the processes of etching and engraving, Elizabeth Blackwell embarked on this long project in order to raise money to free her husband from a debtor’s prison. Not only were her engravings impeccable, but the herbal itself was the most comprehensive study of medicinal plants at that time. A Curious Herbal remained in print for decades after the artist’s death.