Left: Beatrix Potter, aged 15, with her dog, Spot, by Rupert Potter, c.1880–1. print on paper. Linder Bequest. Right: Mrs Rabbit pouring tea for Peter for The tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, 1902. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, courtesy Frederick Warne & Co Ltd.

‘Once upon a time there were four little rabbits – and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter.’

It’s been over a century since Beatrix Potter first published The Tales of Peter Rabbit. Nearly 50 million copies have since been sold, found on children’s bookshelves and bedside tables around the world. Last month, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London unveiled a new exhibition celebrating the life and work of the beloved children’s book author. On now through January 8, 2023, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature features 200 artworks, manuscripts, photographs, and other artifacts, including the author’s little-known scientific drawings. “Her legacy can be seen in more than one way,” says Annemarie Bilclough, the show’s curator. “We wanted to take a broad view of her achievements beyond her storybooks because there was such a wide range.”

Discover Beatrix Potter’s incredible life as an author, illustrator, scientist and conservationist, and explore the British landscapes and animals that inspired her treasured stories.

View across Esthwaite Water, by Beatrix Potter, 21 November 1909. Linder Bequest. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, courtesy Frederick Warne & Co Ltd.

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