Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature
During the summer of 1966, an exhibition opened its doors to crowds of appreciative Londoners. Thousands of people lined up to see the exhibit, presented by Britain's National Book League. So many came that police officers had to be summoned to handle crowd control.
The books highlighted in the popular London exhibition had little in common with contemporary best sellers. Lady Chatterly's Lover, Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold were definitely not the stars of the National Book League show. Instead, the exhibition highlighted the exploits of a rabbit named Peter, Tom Kitten, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Hunca Munca and Tom Thumb, "two bad mice."
The creator of these delightful animal characters - and many more - was a proper Victorian lady, born a hundred years before. Now, Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) had returned, the toast of "swinging 60's" London.
Beatrix Potter once again is on center stage in a centennial exhibition. This time, the occasion is the celebration of the Morgan Library and Museum's opening as a public institution in March 1924.
The choice of a Beatrix Potter exhibition to lead the Morgan's anniversary presentations might seem a bit surprising. The Morgan is legendary for its medieval manuscripts, Rembrandt etchings, works by William Blake, etc. But Bunny Rabbits?
Visitors to the Morgan have only to walk through the door of Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature to see how fitting this wonderful exhibition is to launch Morgan 100. In recent years, exhibits at the Morgan have celebrated the lives of Charlotte Brontë, Emily Dickinson, J.R.R. Tolkien and other beloved authors. This tribute to Beatrix Potter follows in their worthy footsteps.
Prominently displayed near the entrance of Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature are several framed letters. These are arrayed beneath a large-format rendering of cursive hand-writing, duplicating Potter's salutation in one of the letters.
"My dear Noel" the gallery heading reads.
The letters, dating to the 1890's, are part of a trove of eleven letters written to a little boy named Noel Moore and one to his sister, Marjorie. These illustrated missives are among the most precious documents in the Morgan's collection, donated to the institution in 1959.
Noel and Marjorie Moore were the children of Potter's former governess, Annie Carter. Potter maintained close relations with Carter after she married. Noel (1887-1969) was five-years old and recovering from scarlet fever when he received an eight page letter filled with details about Potter's pet rabbit, named Peter Piper.
Potter elaborated on the Peter Rabbit theme with a later picture letter (as she called them) to Noel. Brimming with imagined incidents and marvelous drawings, the outline of "tale" began to take shape.
My dear Noel, I don't know what to write to you, so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits whose names were - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail - and Peter. They lived with their mother in a sand bank under the root of a big fir tree...
Encouraged by Annie Moore, Potter used this letter as the template for a story about the fictional Peter Rabbit. In 1901, after being rejected by eight publishing firms, Potter's illustrated story of the naughty bunny was privately printed in an edition of 250 copies. The following year, The Tale of Peter Rabbit was finally published by Frederick Warne and Co. and quickly became a huge, global success.
The success of Potter's "tales" seems less astounding when one studies her accounts of people, places and - most of all - animals in the Morgan Library letters. Potter wrote to Noel Moore in a direct, appealing way that children can comprehend and enjoy without feeling "talked-down-to" by adults.
Potter complemented her facility in writing for youngsters with pictures which integrate insightful detail with a sense of "childlike" wonder.
A visitor to the Morgan exhibit could linger at the display of Potter's letters for a very long time and be thrilled at being able to see them, so rarely are these fragile works-on-paper placed on view. But there is so much to see and enjoy in this exhibition that the temptation of focusing exclusively on Potter's delightful picture letters needs to be resisted.
The vast majority of the paintings, drawings, photos and artifacts on view in the Morgan galleries, come from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Without the letters to Noel and Marjorie Moore, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature has traveled to other museums. With the Morgan's Potter letters included, it is a "once-in-a lifetime" exhibition.
The Morgan/V&A exhibition chronicles Potter's entire lifetime. Potter was much more than an author/illustrator of endearing children's books - though the tremendous success of her "tales" needs no apologia.
Beatrix Potter, Drawing of a Walled Garden, Ees Wyke, Sawrey, ca. 1900
An accomplished student of natural science, a gifted landscape artist, an "environmentalist" before the word was created, a successful farmer and animal breeder, Potter achieved much in a long and active life.
Indeed, it was Potter's close study of nature and unsentimental appraisal of animal life which grounded her "tales." An ever-present note of realism pervades these stories. Potter's bunnies and other animal protagonists court disaster, especially when they forget the inherent dangers of their seemingly idyllic world.
Potter was also a savvy, business entrepreneur. She quickly grasped the importance of designing books of a small size which would fit "children's hands" and parent's disposable income. Her publisher wanted to try a line of bigger, more lavishly illustrated books - and thus more expensive - but Potter resisted and she was proven correct. Sales revenue from the child-friendly books soared.
Potter was willing, in some respects, to experiment with innovations in book design. One of my favorite objects in the exhibition is the first edition of The Tale of Miss Moppet. It was designed in a panorama format, with the pages unfolding in an accordion-like fashion. The story of Miss Moppet's unavailing effort to "bag" a mouse develops sequentially like the frames of a silent movie to the delight of young readers.
The experiment was not a success. Booksellers disliked the format. The Tale of Miss Moppet unfolded from a wallet casing, rather than conventional book covers. This did not suit perusal in a bookstore, especially if the customer did not buy the opened book!
Much more effective - at least eventually - was the revolution in product merchandising which Potter initiated. Today, almost every children's book, movie, television series, etc. spawns a vast array of related toys, clothing and "knick-knacks" of every description. This phenomenon traces its lineage to The Tale of Peter Rabbit, as can be seen in the current displays of the Morgan's gift shop.
Almost as soon as The Tale of Peter Rabbit hopped onto the best-seller chart, Potter sensed an opportunity for exploiting success. She designed a charming plush-animal version of Peter in his stylish blue jacket. A German firm beat her to the draw with a cheap copy which somehow evaded British copyright law, much to Potter's annoyance.
Potter successfully countered the German domination of the toy market with a constant stream of gift items based on the characters of her tales like this adorable Jemima Puddle-Duck.
Beatrix Potter succeeded in nurturing the rare combination of childlike sensibility toward animals and nature with a sure-handed grasp of business practice and an impressive facility with scientific research. How she did so, is not easily presented, even in an art exhibition of exceptional insight like the brilliant show at the Morgan.
During her early years, up to 1897, she kept a diary, encrypted in a code of her own devising. It resisted all attempts to decipher until 1958. After eight years of effort, Leslie Linder discovered the key to her alphabet and was able to translate the diary. Linder, it must be noted was also the collector of 2,400 drawings by Potter, manuscripts, photos and family memorabilia which he later donated to the V&A.
The decoded diary reveals how, with fortitude, Potter strove to create a life of her own. She was determined not to remain "the angel of the house" as her parents very much wanted her to be. They even resisted her marriage plans when she became engaged to her publisher, Norman Warne in 1905. Sadly, Warne died before they could be married. Recovering from this tragedy, Potter married a lawyer, William Heelis, years later in 1913, living quietly and happily "ever-after."
Potter, hugely successful as a children's author, reinvented herself as a farmer and sheep breeder during the years between the two World Wars She used the profits from her books to amass 4,000 acres of some of England's most beautiful and fertile countryside in the the Lake District. These she donated to Britain's National Trust at her death in 1943.
Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature brilliantly surveys these later-stage triumphs of Potter, even evoking her famous country home, Hill Top, in a special display.
Another important consideration about Beatrix Potter's legacy, not mentioned in this otherwise outstanding exhibit, is the way that the Potter's visionary appraisal of nature helped shape the war aims of Britain during World War II.
A famous poster from the war reflected Potter's art and ideals, even if the setting is the South Downs rather than her beloved Lake District.This reverence for the fields and hills of home rather than rage and a desire for revenge, motivated Britain's people to fight on to victory.
Writing shortly before her death, Beatrix Potter put into unforgettable words - which the Morgan exhibition prominently displays - which sum-up the wellspring of her life, her "tales" and her legacy as a protectress of nature:
"I do not remember a time, when I did not try to invent pictures and make for myself a fairyland amongst the wild flowers, the animals, fungi, mosses, woods and streams, all the thousand objects of the countryside; that pleasant, unchanging world of realism and romance, which in our northern clime is stiffened by hard weather, a tough ancestry, and the strength that comes from the hills.”
***
Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved
Original photography, copyright of Anne Lloyd
Introductory Image: Beatrix Potter (1866-1943)
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Gallery view of the Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature exhibition, showing early editions of The Tale of Tom Kitten and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.
Rupert Potter (1832-1914) Portrait of Beatrix Potter, ca. 1892. Given by Joan Duke. ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Gallery view of the Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature exhibition, showing picture letters written by Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore, ca. 1890's. Collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.
Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) Drawing of Peter Rabbit from the Tailor of Gloucester endpaper,1903. Linder Bequest. Museum no. BP.460. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) A picture letter written by Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore, April 11, 1892. Collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Detail of a picture letter written by Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore, ca. 1890's. Collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.
Beatrix Potter (1866–1943), Drawing, magnified studies of a ground beetle (Carabus nemoralis), about 1887. Linder Bequest. Museum no. BP.257. © Victoria and Albert Museum / London, courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd
Beatrix Potter (1866–1943), Drawing of a walled garden, Ees Wyke (previously named Lakefield), Sawrey, ca. 1900. Linder Bequest. Museum no. BP.238. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Beatrix Potter's Walking Stick and Farm clogs. Walking Stick: Wood, glass 35 1/16 × 1 9/16 × 1 5/16 in. (89 × 4 × 3.4 cm) Frame: 890 × 40 × 34 mm (89 × 4 × 3.4 cm) On loan, courtesy of The Beatrix Potter Society 2. POT480a -b L2024.1.1 Charlie Brown Clogs 1920 Wood, iron nails, leather: 4 3/4 × 10 1/4 × 3 7/8 in. (12 × 26 × 9.8 cm) The National Trust – Hill Top and Beatrix Potter Collection
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Studies of a Rabbit’s Head (Benjamin Bouncer) by Beatrix Potter, August 1890. Pencil on paper:22 1/16 x 16 18 x 1 3/8 in. (56 x 40.9 x 3.5) Linder Bequest BP. 261
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Gallery view of the Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature exhibition, showing the first edition of The Story of Miss Moppet, 1906. Printing ink, paper, cloth: Mount: 2 3/4 × 72 1/16 × 4 1/2 in. (7 × 183 × 11.5 cm) Victoria and Albert Museum Linder Bequest NAL 3804100505406
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Detail of The Story of Miss Moppet, 1906.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) View of the gift shop of the Morgan Library & Museum, showing merchandise related to the Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature exhibition.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Jemima Puddle-Duck doll, ca.1925. Manufactured by J.K. Farnell & Co. Ltd. Mohair body, cotton hat and shawl, felt beak and feet, glass eyes 7 7/8 × 9 7/16 × 3 15/16 in. (20 × 24 × 10 cm) Courtesy of the Frederick Warne Archive
Ruppert Potter (1832-1914) Beatrix Potter, aged 15, with her dog, Spot, about 1880–81. Linder Bequest. Museum no. BP.1425. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Photo of Beatrix Heelis (Potter) by an unknown photographer at Castle Cottege, Sawrey, ca. 1940. Collection of Princeton University Library. #1005.144
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Gallery view of Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature, showing a recreation of the decor of Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's home.
Frank Newbould (1887-1951) Your Britain: Fight for It Now (South Downs), 1942. Lithograph poster. Imperial War Museum collection.
Beatrix Potter (1866–1943) View of Monk Coniston Moor, 1909. Watercolour over pencil sketch: 178 mm x 253 mm. Linder Bequest. Museum no. LB.541. ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd
No comments:
Post a Comment