Beatrix Potter collection

Repository:

Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department

Call Number:

FLP.RBD.POTTER

Creator:

Free Library of Philadelphia.

Title:

Beatrix Potter collection

Date [bulk]:

1890-1943

Date [inclusive]:

1884-2002

Extent:

40.64 Linear feet

Language:

English

Abstract:

This collection consists of material created by or about the children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. It contains correspondence, original artwork, manuscripts, and ephemera collected by the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Cite as:

[Description and date of item], [Box and folder number], Beatrix Potter collection, 1884-2002 (bulk 1890-1943), Free Library of Philadelphia, Rare Book Department.

Beatrix Potter was an English author and illustrator best know for her children's books featuring the escapades of garden and farm animals, most famously The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902). She was born on July 30, 1866 to a well-to-do family in London. Both of her parents were from wealthy families in the Manchester area. The family lived in London where her father Rupert was a lawyer, but the family often spent summers at country estates in the highlands of Scotland and in the Lake District. It was during these vacations that she and her brother, Bertram, were able to explore and study nature. Here she began to develop her ability to create finely detailed drawings of the natural world. She was especially interested in fungi and drew many illustrations of the different mushrooms she found. Her observations led her to develop a theory on the germination of fungal spores. Because she was an amateur, and a female to boot, her paper on the subject had to be presented to the Linnean Society in 1897 by George Massee. Potter was also an avid lover of animals from a young age and would often draw the many rabbits, mice, lizards, and dogs she had as pets growing up. Beginning in 1881 and continuing to 1897 she kept journals where she would write about her activities, society, and art. Her notebooks provided her an opportunity to draw and paint and develop her own style, while the journals offered a chance to develop as a writer. Both of these factors played a large role in her success as a children’s author.

In the early 1890s she sold some illustrations for use in greeting cards but her focus was on studying natural history. She also wrote elaborate picture letters to children of friends and family. One of the letters to the children of Annie Moore was the beginning of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The picture letters were just a hobby of hers until she had the idea of turning it into a children’s book. After expanding on the story begun in her letter to Noel Moore and creating further illustrations for it, she went to six different publishers, who all rejected it. She then published her own edition. Although the publisher Frederick Warne was one of the six publishers who had rejected the original manuscript, he reconsidered when he saw the privately printed edition, and agreed to publish it if Potter would redo the black and white illustrations in color. In 1902 The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published by Warne to great success. This was followed by twenty two more books in "The Tales" series. Additional merchandising of the Peter Rabbit characters began when Potter came out with a Peter Rabbit doll in 1903. Over time these other items have included painting books, board games, puzzles, and porcelain figurines.

In 1905 she bought Hill Top Farm near Sawrey. It became her sanctuary where she would go to paint, write, and run a farm. Then in 1909 she bought Castle Farm, a farm across the street from Hill Top. Her plan was to preserve the Lake District from development and to improve the quality of life by opposing hydroplanes, and starting a nursing trust. She was encouraged in these endeavors by William Heelis, a local solicitor, whom she married in 1913. She purchased a sheep farm called Troutbeck Park in 1923. She restored the farm and she became an admired breeder of Herdwick sheep, winning many prizes at many local shows.

She continued writing books into the 1930s. The final volume of the twenty three tales was The Tale of Little Pig Robinson, published in 1930. Her most autobiographical work was The Fairy Caravan, which follows the adventures of a young guinea pig who runs away from home to join a travelling circus and takes place in the Lake District. It was published in 1929 in America but not made available in England until 1952. One final book of note is Sister Anne, her retelling of the legend of Bluebeard, which was published in 1932. This was the first book she wrote to be illustrated by another artist.

Beatrix Potter died from pneumonia and heart disease on December 22, 1943. She left almost all of her property to the National Trust. The estate covered 4,000 acres and included cottages, herds of Herdwick sheep, and cattle spread across sixteen different farms. This donation was the largest gift to the National Trust at the time and allowed for the preservation of lands now in the Lake District National Park. She also donated many of her original illustrations to the National Trust, now on display at the Beatrix Potter Gallery located in Lake District.

Bibliography

"About Beatrix Potter," The Beatrix Potter Society, accessed January 3, 2011, http://www.beatrixpottersociety.org.uk/files/aboutbp.html.

"Beatrix Potter," Wikipedia, accessed January 3, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrix_Potter.

Taylor, Judy. Beatrix Potter Artist, Storyteller and Countrywoman. London: Penguin Group, 1986.

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This collection contains correspondence, original artwork, manuscripts, and ephemera by or relating to children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. The collection is divided into five parts, Correspondence, Artwork, Manuscripts, Ephemera, and Post-lifetime ephemera. The material dates from 1884-2002.

The majority of the correspondence is written by Beatrix Potter except for six letters written by members of her friends and family. Some of the correspondence concerns publishing matters relating to books Potter wrote, particularly those addressed to Alexander McKay. There are also many personal letters written to friends. The letters to Marion Frazer Harris Perry are particularly interesting because they describe Potter’s thoughts and experiences living in the English country side shortly before and during the early years of World War II. Marion Frazer Harris Perry was the widow of James DeWolf Perry, rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. She was one of Beatrix Potter’s American visitors who became a very good friend and frequent correspondent. The collection contains over 50 of her letters from Beatrix Potter, most given by Mrs. Perry’s niece, Mrs. Richard Stevens.

The artwork consists of many pieces that were published in The Tailor of Gloucester and The Tale of Little Pig Robinson. Her early fascination of drawing wild flora and fauna is also represented by studies of butterflies, cats, and spiders. Most of the ephemera consists of puzzles and greeting cards. The majority of the post-lifetime ephemera are porcelain figurines of different Potter characters. The figurines date from 1948 to 2002. Manuscripts include full drafts of The Tale of Little Pig Robinson and The Tailor of Gloucester, as well as some items related to The Tale of Pigling Bland and How to Lose Furry Friends.

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This collection is arranged into five series: I. Correspondence; II. Artwork; III. Manuscripts; IV. Ephemera; V. Post-lifetime ephemera. Correspondence and Manuscripts are arranged alphabetically and then chronologically. The other series are arranged chronologically, with undated materials placed at the end of the series.

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Publication Information:

Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department

Finding Aid Author:

Finding aid prepared by Garrett Boos

Sponsor:

The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.

Access Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions:

The right of access to material does not imply the right of publication. Permission for reprinting, reproduction, or extensive quotation from the rare books, manuscripts, prints, or drawings must be obtained through written application, stating the use to be made of the material. The reader bears the responsibility for any possible infringement of copyright laws in the publication of such material. A reproduction fee will be charged if the material is to be reproduced in a commercial publication.

Processing Information:

This finding aid was entered into AT by Garrett Boos from legacy data compiled by the Rare Book Department. Each item was examined and description enhanced and standardized where necessary.

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

The majority of this collection was purchased by the Free Library from dealers, with a few materials given to the Free Library by various donors.

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Victoria and Albert Museum: The Beatrix Potter Collections.

The Morgan Library & Museum.

New York Public Library.

Princeton University Cotsen Childrens' Library: The Beatrix Potter Collection of Lloyd Cotsen.

Toronto Public Library: The Osborne Collection: Childrens' Literature up to 1910.

University of Minnesota: Beatrix Potter Collection, 1928-1929.

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Corporate Name(s)

• Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
• Beswick (Firm).
• Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
• David McKay Company.
• Ford Motor Company.
• Frederick Warne (Firm).
• Hildesheimer and Faulkner.
• Invalid Children’s Aid Nationwide.
• Milton Bradley Company.
• Saml. Gabriel Sons & Company.

Form/Genre(s)

• Correspondence
• Drawings (visual works)
• Ephemera
• Figurines
• Greeting cards
• Illustrations
• Jigsaw puzzles
• Manuscripts
• Photographs
• Sketches
• Watercolors (paintings)

Personal Name(s)

• Cady, Harrison, 1877-1970
• Collamore, Harry Bacon
• Heelis, Aday
• Heelis, Sylvie
• Keane, Bil, 1922-2011
• McKay, Alexander
• McKay, David
• McKay, Jean
• Moore, Winifrede
• Perry, Marion Frazer Harris
• Potter, Beatrix, 1866-1943
• Potter, Rupert, 1832-1914
• Potter, W. B. (Walter Bertram), 1872-1918
• Shaffer, Ellen, 1904-
• Stevens, Elizabeth H.
• Stevens, Richard K. (Richard Kingsbury), 1901-
• Warne, Amelia
• Warne, Minnie

Subject(s)

• Children's authors--20th century
• Children's literature--20th century
• Illustrated children's books--20th century
• Illustration of books--20th century
• Women artists, English--20th century.
• Women authors--Great Britain
• World War, 1939-1945

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