Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, First Woman to Earn a Medical Degree in the U.S., Owned and Signed Book on Zoology by her Mentor William Carpenter

Elizabeth Blackwell

Book

[Women in Medicine][Rare] Blackwell, Elizabeth. Volumes I and II of Carpenter’s Zoology. Volume II owned and signed by Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. Blackwell graduated first in her class from Geneva Medical College in 1849 and subsequently pursued further scientific training in Britain at a time when women remained largely excluded from institutional medical education. Her signature and marginal note in these volumes provide material evidence of her scientific study within the intellectual networks that shaped nineteenth century comparative anatomy and physiology.

Carpenter's Zoology vol. 1 & 2. Carpenter, William. Zoology; Being a Systematic Account of the General Structure, Habits, Instincts, and Uses of the Principal Families of the Animal Kingdom. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1857 (Vol. I); 1858 (Vol. II). Two volumes. 12mo. Vol. I: 586 pp.; Vol. II: 588 pp. Original red cloth, blindstamped in arabesque pattern, spines titled in gilt “Carpenter’s Zoology,” “Bohn’s Scientific Library.” Signed “E. Blackwell” at the head of the publisher’s ad leaf in Vol. II, with additional pencil annotation in table of contents Vol. II (“circular mouth,” a translation of the Greek “cyclostomi”) in Blackwell’s hand.

Blackwell, who graduated first in her class at Geneva Medical College in 1849, met physiologist William Benjamin Carpenter during her post-graduate studies in London. He became an early advocate and intellectual ally, introducing her to figures such as surgeon James Paget and inviting her into spaces largely closed to women. In her Autobiographical Sketches, she describes his laboratory and encouragement: “Dr. Carpenter… has written those admirable works on physiology… His microscopes… were the most beautiful in England” (p. 105). Carpenter’s role in shaping Blackwell’s scientific worldview is evidenced by her ownership and marginalia in these volumes, which reflect her immersion in comparative anatomy and the scientific classification of life—subjects central to Victorian natural science and to Blackwell’s pioneering medical practice. These books offer rare material testimony of Blackwell’s early scientific training and her integration into British scientific circles at a moment when professional medicine was becoming increasingly institutionalized and gender-exclusive. Her interaction with Carpenter, a key disseminator of Darwinian ideas and natural theology, underscores Blackwell’s position at the intersection of medicine, reform, and scientific thought. The pairing of Blackwell’s signature with a text authored by her mentor makes these volumes historically and biographically significant. Edges rubbed; spine tips and joints worn, especially to Vol. II, with fraying to cloth at crown and some loss. Hinges on Vol. II fragile and exhibiting some separation at joints. Both internally complete and sound. Gilt still legible on both volumes. A remarkable and singular association copy. Blackwell's signature is rare on the market, only three examples of her autograph have surfaced at auction in the last forty years. Extremely rare.

Item #22936

Price: $7,500.00