The daughter of an Aberdeen merchant, Elizabeth eloped to London with Alexander Blackwell and soon found herself with a husband incarcerated for debt. To secure Alexander's release, Blackwell took up writing and worked for several years on an herbal that was published in two volumes in 1737 and 1739 as A Curious Herbal containing Five Hundred Cuts of the most useful Plants which are now used in the Practice of Physick. The herbal's hand-colored plates are based on flowers and plants she viewed in Chelsea botanical gardens. Alexander contributed the text from his cell in debtors' prison. The book proved immensely popular and an enlarged Latin edition was later published. Blackwell's husband moved to Stockholm after his stint in jail and was executed in July 1747 for plotting against the Swedish government. Little else is known of Elizabeth Blackwell's life.