For nearly three centuries, Elizabeth Blackwell (1699–c. 1758) has been recognized for etching the 500 full-page illustrations of medicinal plants that are found in A Curious Herbal. Join historian and leading authority on Blackwell, Dr. Janet Stiles Tyson, as she uncovers narratives and identifies some of the key differences found in the many editions of this renowned masterpiece. This online presentation is sponsored by the New York Botanical Garden. The leading authority on Blackwell and A Curious Herbal, Dr. Janet Stiles Tyson, will correct persistent Blackwell narratives and restore attention to her book as a scientific document. Having examined more than 80 copies of Blackwell’s Herbal—including the three held in NYBG’s LuEsther T. Mertz Library—she will highlight differences that endow each with distinct personalities and argue that some copies were so dramatically altered by their owners that they can be considered unique books, and their former owners perceived as co-authors. Register at www.nybg.org
