Sopewort or Bruisewort
Print
1737 (published)
1737 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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.
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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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Etching |
| 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 |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Lettered 'Sopewart or Bruisewort/Saponaria-vulgaris' and 'Elizabeth Blackwell delin. sculp. et Pinx'. |
| Gallery label | 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.(2022) |
| Subject depicted | |
| 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 |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.453-1996 |
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| Record created | April 20, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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