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Sopewort or Bruisewort

Print
1737 (published)
Artist/Maker
Elizabeth Blackwell (artist)
Place of origin
Great Britain (made)
London (published)

Who was Elizabeth Blackwell? (about 1700 –1758)
Born in England, made prints in England
Printmaking activity: 1737–1739
Elizabeth Blackwell was the author and artist of A Curious Herbal, which contained 500 prints that she designed, etched and hand-coloured herself. She was the first woman in Britain to produce an herbal. However, Blackwell’s etchings were so successful that they were soon pirated by other printmakers. In 1740, she took these imitators to court and won her case and thus she played a formative role in early visual copyright history.

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read An introduction to women printmakers Women have made prolific contributions to the medium of print for centuries: from noble women learning a new skill to amuse their friends, to women using print as a means of income, to women painters experimenting with a new medium. This brief introduction highlights just a small number of...

Object details

Categories
Prints
Gardens & Gardening
Science
Illustration
Woman Artist
Object type
Print
Titles
  • Sopewort or Bruisewort (assigned by artist)
  • A Curious Herbal (published title)
Materials and techniques
Etching
Paper
Engraving
Brief description
'Sopewort [Saponasa officinalis]', etching by Elizabeth Blackwell, plate 113 from 'A Curious Herbal', London, 1737.
Physical description
An etching depicting two soapwort plants, one of which is flowering. There is a numbered key, at the bottom of the image, identifying parts of the plant.
Dimensions
  • Size of sheet height: 40cm
  • Size of sheet width: 25.6cm
  • Size of plate height: 33cm
  • Size of plate width: 19.8cm
Dimensions taken from Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1996
Marks and inscriptions
Lettered 'Sopewart or Bruisewort/Saponaria-vulgaris' and 'Elizabeth Blackwell delin. sculp. et Pinx'.
Gallery label
(2022)
Though Blackwell had her 500 etchings bound into a book, she also issued them as individual prints from 1737 to 1739. This provided her with a steady income, which may have allowed her to pay for her husband’s release from debtor’s prison. These black and white prints cost one shilling each, which was half the price of a coloured impression.
Subject depicted
Botanical Illustration
Summary
Who was Elizabeth Blackwell? (about 1700 –1758)
Born in England, made prints in England
Printmaking activity: 1737–1739
Elizabeth Blackwell was the author and artist of A Curious Herbal, which contained 500 prints that she designed, etched and hand-coloured herself. She was the first woman in Britain to produce an herbal. However, Blackwell’s etchings were so successful that they were soon pirated by other printmakers. In 1740, she took these imitators to court and won her case and thus she played a formative role in early visual copyright history.
Bibliographic references
  • Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1996
  • Blackwell, Elizabeth. A Curious Herbal. London, 1737. pl. 113
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.453-1996

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Record createdApril 20, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O226253/sopewort-or-bruisewort-print-elizabeth-blackwell/
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