Rare 18th-century medical book hand-painted to free husband from debtor's prison goes on display in Leeds

A stunning and incredibly rare two-volume, hand-coloured book is set to go on public display as the crown jewel of the Thackray Museum of Medicine’s brand-new summer exhibition, Where Magic Grows.

Acquired by the Harehills-based museum with support from the Paul Thackray Heritage Foundation, Elizabeth Blackwell’s pioneering 1730s work, ‘A Curious Herbal,’ will serve as the star attraction.

The display, created in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), explores the ancient and enduring intersection between the healing power of plants, folklore, and modern medicine.

Behind the exquisite, vibrant illustrations of the book lies a fascinating human story of survival: Elizabeth Blackwell, a trained artist, originally embarked on the massive project in the 1730s as a desperate means to raise money while her husband was locked away in a London debtor’s prison.

Designed as a practical reference book for apothecaries and physicians, Blackwell drew her detailed illustrations from real-life botanical specimens growing in the Chelsea Physic Garden, meticulously engraving the copper plates and hand-colouring the pages herself.

Endorsed by the Royal College of Physicians, the book became a major commercial success, ultimately securing her husband’s release.

Today, it is celebrated as a landmark achievement in botanical illustration—and a rare, triumphant historical example of a woman establishing authoritative medical knowledge in a field almost entirely dominated by men.

Only around 100 copies of ‘A Curious Herbal ‘ are known to have survived worldwide. Because each copy was individually hand-bound and hand-coloured in the 1700s, no two editions in existence are identical.

The copy acquired by the Thackray - known historically as the Maitland-Harris set - previously belonged to the Richard D. Harris Collection of natural history.

However, its most notable former owner was the prominent Victorian novelist and poet Ella Fuller Maitland (1857–1939), whose personal signature is inscribed in the front of the volume.

A passionate advocate for the natural world and early supporter of the RSPCA and the National Trust, Maitland's intimate relationship with the book is still tangible today: a dried sprig of what is believed to be succory remains tucked carefully between the fragile pages, suggesting she used the volume as a practical field guide rather than a passive collector's piece.

“This is not only a beautiful and intriguing object, but also a deeply human story,” said Jack Gann, Curator at the Thackray Museum of Medicine. “’A Curious Herbal ‘represents one woman’s tenacity, creativity, labour and knowledge at a time when formal medical authority was largely led by men.

"Our copy also gives us a tangible link to a later reader, whose own love of nature is still visible within the book. 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 - displaying summer, autumn, and winter plants like tomato, apple, and holly to let visitors see different illustrations throughout the run.”

The wider Where Magic Grows exhibition has been co-curated alongside a group of five young people aged 18 to 22, designing an immersive, family-friendly experience that demonstrates how our health and the natural world are inextricably linked.

Where Magic Grows featuring ‘A Curious Herbal’ begins on July 18 at Thackray Museum of Medicine, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7LN. Entry is included with a standard museum ticket, which is valid for unlimited free return visits for a full year.