Beatrix Potter ​

Helen Beatrix Potter was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. She is regarded as one of the best-selling children's authors of all time with her timeless and classic tales.

Quick Facts ​

• Best known for the Peter Rabbit series, which sold more than 150 million copies in 35 languages.
• Illustrated all of her books.
• Her works are incredibly popular in Japan, and her characters feature in various Japanese animations.
• The Victoria and Albert Museum holds the world's largest collection of her illustrations.
• The first women to be elected to the Linnean Society.
• A fungi species named after her, Psathyrella potterae, in recognition of her contributions to mycology.

Background ​

Beatrix Potter was born on July 28, 1866 in Kensington, London, the daughter of Rupert and Helen Potter. She was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She had numerous pets and spent holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developing a love of the natural world which she closely observed and painted from an early age.

In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Potter began writing and illustrating children's books full-time. With the proceeds from her books and a legacy from an aunt, Potter bought Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey, a village in the Lake District, in 1905.

After her marriage to solicitor William Heelis in 1913, she became a farmer and sheep breeder, as well as continuing her writing and illustrating. In 1942, she died of heart disease and pneumonia at the age of 77. Potter left almost all her property to The National Trust to preserve the beauty of the Lake District as she had known it, including her many farms and her flocks of Herdwick sheep.

Writing Style and Impact ​

Beatrix Potter's writing style is imaginative, charming and moralistic. Her work is renowned for its detailed and realistic illustrations, imaginative storytelling and subtle moral lessons. Potter's stories, based on anthropomorphic animals rooted in well-observed nature, have been adored by generations of children and have contributed significantly to children's literature genre. Her work encourages love for nature, animals and appeals to the readers' sense of empathy.

Notable Works ​

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)
• The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903)
• The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (1904)
• The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (1908)
• The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies (1909)
• The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse (1910)
• The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes (1911)
• The Tale of Mr. Tod (1912)
• The Tale of Pigling Bland (1913)