Rare book goes on display in new Thackray exhibition in Leeds
A rare two-volume hand-coloured book is to go on display as part of Thackray Museum of Medicine’s brand-new exhibition opening on 18 July.
Acquired by the museum with support from the Paul Thackray Heritage Foundation, Elizabeth Blackwell’s[1] A Curious Herbal will be displayed in the Where Magic Grows exhibition as its star object, along with several other unique and enlightening items from Thackray and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) collections, telling the story of the healing power of plants and the outdoors.
Created in the 1730s as a way of raising money while Blackwell’s husband was in prison, A Curious Herbal was designed as a reference book for apothecaries, containing hundreds of medicinal plant illustrations drawn from real-life botanical specimens found in Chelsea Physic Garden and coloured by hand. The work is now recognised as a major achievement in botanical illustration and an important example of a woman producing medical knowledge in a field once largely controlled by men.
While there is no fixed figure, only approximately 100 copies of the books have been located throughout the world, however all are unique with no two-copies the same, having each been individually hand-bound and hand-coloured in the 1700s.
Known as the Maitland-Harris set, Thackray’s copy previously formed part of the Richard D. Harris Collection of natural history books. Its most notable former owner was Victorian novelist and poet Ella Fuller Maitland (1857-1939), whose signature appears in the front of the edition.
Jack Gann, curator at Thackray Museum of Medicine, said: “This is not only a beautiful and intriguing object, but also a human story. A Curious Herbal represents one woman’s tenacity, creativity, labour and knowledge at a time when formal medical authority was largely led by men. Elizabeth Blackwell, a trained artist, included 500 illustrations and references that were used by physicians, botanists, and apothecaries, with her work supported by the Royal College of Physicians, who endorsed the book's original publication in the 1700s. Our copy also gives us a tangible link to a later owner and reader, whose own love of nature is still visible within the book.”
Ella Fuller Maitland’s connection adds a further layer to the story; as a supporter of causes linked to the natural world, including the RSPCA, the National Trust and the International Tree Federation, a dried sprig of what is thought to be succory, remains tucked between pages of the copy, revealing that she may have used the book practically rather than simply keeping it as a collector’s item.
Jack continues: “We’re so excited to have been able to acquire this item to not only support the exhibition display, but to be part of our permanent collections. Due to its fragility, the volumes will be displayed in low-light and we will be turning the pages every two months to reflect seasonal change, with summer, autumn and winter plants such as tomato, apple and holly displayed. This will allow visitors to see different illustrations at different points throughout the exhibition’s run.”
On display until 3 January 2027, A Curious Herbal can be seen within the Where Magic Grows exhibition at Thackray, which has been developed in partnership with the RHS, the UK’s gardening charity helping people and plants grow, along with five young people (aged 18 – 22), creating an immersive, interactive, family-friendly exhibition.
Opening in time for the summer holidays with a great programme of events encouraging families to step outside, look closer and rediscover the outside world, Where Magic Grows draws on Thackray and RHS collections and expertise to reveal the surprising ways the natural world supports our wellbeing. The exhibition demonstrates how health, wellbeing and science are inextricably linked, as the intersection of plants, healing, folklore, magic and medicine combines to show how plants have long been used for healing; from ancient times to modern pharmaceuticals.
Where Magic Grows is included with a museum ticket as part of Thackray’s accessible ticket scheme.
Thackray Medical Museum is open daily between 10am–4pm (last admission 3.15pm), and is located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, beside St James’s University Hospital.