Work by Pauline Hann :: Poem by Gerda Stevenson
‘A Curious Herbal’ Muses
Elizabeth Blackwell, nee Blachrie, born Aberdeen, 1707?, died London, 1758; the first British woman to produce a herbal, and the first woman to engrave as well as draw plants; eloped from Aberdeen to London with her profligate husband; raised money to pay his debts and release him from debtors’ prison by creating and selling her much needed reference book, A Curious Herbal, documenting the medicinal properties of plants and herbs, including her own illustrations, from the Apothecaries’ Garden, now Chelsea Physic Garden.
From Quines by Gerda Stevenson
Artist’s statement
This piece of work reflects a line from this evocative poem by Gerda. I have used hand painting, digital print and hand embroidery. The little books are based on the subsequent iterations of her wonderful illustrations.