Healing words: Botanical drawing workshop

Join London Drawing and the RCP Museum for a very special evening of botanical drawing and painting with botanical drawing specialist, Sisetta Zappone.

We will be exploring the Medicinal Garden at the RCP for specimens for draw from, investigating prints and reference materials from the RCP library and archives, and using the current exhibition 'Healing Words' as inspiration. With short talks and in-depth demonstrations - enjoy a deep dive into drawing from plants with all the fantastic resources at the RCP at your fingertips. We will be working in graphite, ink and watercolour to bring your investigations to life. The work of 18th century botanical illustrator Elizabeth Blackwell, preserved in the RCP collection, will be a particular focus of study.

Join us for a sumptuous evening of drawing exploration!

All materials and refreshments will be provided. No experience necessary.

The Healing words exhibition shares the unofficial story of medical practice in England 1500–1800. Explore the RCP’s collection of recipe books, an extraordinary resource showing how people lived in early modern England, and how healthcare functioned outside of the formal medical sphere.

The RCP Garden of medicinal plants is unique in that almost every one of the over 1000 species of plant here has a link to medicine. It may be a herb with a long history of use in folk tradition; it may have provided the model for a pharmaceutical drug; it may be a fibre plant used to make bandages or its botanical name may commemorate a Physician and honour a contribution to science. The myriad stories they tell come from diverse cultures, different countries and from every age in recorded history.