Beatrix Potter, Flopsy Bunnies, a drawing in pen and ink with watercolour

England, around AD 1909

A drawing for the illustration to page 8 of The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies (1909)

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is among the best-loved of children's book authors and illustrators, and today her books remain as popular as ever. She was born in London into a wealthy family, and was introduced as a child to the world of art; the Pre-Raphaelite painter, John Everett Millais (1829-96), was a family friend. She was a solitary child who found most comfort in her many pets and in drawing. She made many careful watercolour studies, particularly of fungi, fossils and Roman artefacts. A collection of these is in the National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

In 1900, she wrote and illustrated The Tale of Peter Rabbit for the children of her former governess. It was first printed privately, but in 1902 it was published by Warne & Co. and was an immediate success, selling 50,000 copies in a year. Squirrel Nutkin followed in 1903, and then fourteen more tales in seven years. Many of her stories were set in the countryside around Hill Top Farm in the Lake District, which she purchased with her earnings from her books. After the publication of Mrs Tittlemouse, Beatrix spent most of her time farming sheep. On her death, she left her home to the National Trust, who opened it as a museum.

N. Savy and D. Syrat, Beatrix Potter and Pierre Lapi (Paris, 1992)

S. Houfe, The dictionary of nineteenth-c (England, Woodbridge, Antique Collector's Club, 1978, rev. 1996)