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Watercolour

1913 (drawn)
Artist/Maker

This is a detailed variant illustration of the two pigs, Pigling Bland and his brother Alexander, heading off to market by Beatrix Potter (1866-1943). The frontispiece in the final published tale, The Tale of Pigling Bland (1913) is very similar but the pig on the left has a brown waistcoat and the other a paler green one. They are both larger and their expressions less jovial in the published illustration, and the gate only partly visible, the background unfocussed (Hobbs: 1999).

The location depicted is behind Hill Top farm, Near Sawrey, where Potter and William Heelis often walked during their courtship. It is still recognisable today with the distinctive gate and signpost. Potter’s work has helped to ensure that the village of Near Sawrey, where a large number of her stories are set, has become a conservation village.

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is one of the world's best-loved children's authors and illustrators. She wrote the majority of the twenty-three original Peter Rabbit books between 1901 and 1913. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
watercolour and sepia ink on paper.
Brief description
Drawing of two pigs, Pigling Bland and Alexander, at a crossroads, variant illustration for the frontispiece of the The Tale of Pigling Bland (1913), watercolour and sepia ink, by Beatrix Potter, behind Hill Top, Sawrey, ca. 1913, Linder Collection object. no. LC.28.B.1, catalogue no. 4.65
Physical description
Illustration of two pigs on their hind legs in the foreground both dressed in green coats with pink and white waistcoats underneath and light blue ties. They are facing slightly towards each other and the pig on the left is using a walking stick, they are both carrying red cloth bags. They are ambling forewards from a crossroads and there is a signpost in the background alongside a gate to a field. A road proceeds upwards to the left and downwards to the right. There is a tree on the left-hand side in the foreground, and trees and fells in the background.
Dimensions
  • Height: 193mm
  • Width: 156mm
size of paper
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
'10' (marked at top right in erased pencil.)
Credit line
Given by the Linder Collection
Object history
Given by Leslie Linder (1904-1973) to the National Book League (now the Book Trust) in 1970 as part of a representative selection of Beatrix Potter's work. This selection, comprising 279 drawings and 38 early editions and now known as the Linder Collection, was formerly on long-term loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum between 1989 and 2019 form the charitable trust, The Linder Trust.
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Summary
This is a detailed variant illustration of the two pigs, Pigling Bland and his brother Alexander, heading off to market by Beatrix Potter (1866-1943). The frontispiece in the final published tale, The Tale of Pigling Bland (1913) is very similar but the pig on the left has a brown waistcoat and the other a paler green one. They are both larger and their expressions less jovial in the published illustration, and the gate only partly visible, the background unfocussed (Hobbs: 1999).

The location depicted is behind Hill Top farm, Near Sawrey, where Potter and William Heelis often walked during their courtship. It is still recognisable today with the distinctive gate and signpost. Potter’s work has helped to ensure that the village of Near Sawrey, where a large number of her stories are set, has become a conservation village.

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is one of the world's best-loved children's authors and illustrators. She wrote the majority of the twenty-three original Peter Rabbit books between 1901 and 1913. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale
Associated object
LC.28/B/2 (Study for)
Bibliographic references
  • Lear, Linda. Beatrix Potter: the extraordinary life of a Victorian genius. London: Penguin, 2008.
  • Hobbs, Anne Stevenson (compiler). The Linder Collection of the works and drawings of Beatrix Potter: catalogue of works on paper. London: The Trustees of the Linder Collection, 1996 (1999 reprint). Brief catalogue entry, no. 4.65.
  • Potter, Beatrix. The tale of Pigling Bland. London: Frederick Warne & Co., 1913.
Other numbers
  • LOAN:LINDER TRUST.253-1994 - Previous Loan Number
  • 4.65 - Linder Collection catalogue no.
Collection
Library number
LC 28/B/1

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Record createdNovember 25, 2011
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