Photograph of Rupert, Beatrix and Bertram Potter and their dog, Spot
Photograph
11 October 1883 (photographed)
11 October 1883 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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.
An artist himself, Rupert Potter (1832-1914) was probably the single greatest influence on his daughter's enduring passion for the arts and natural history and on her development as a writer and illustrator. Rupert took up photography in the 1860s when it was still a relatively new art form and was elected to the Photographic Society of London in 1869. An enthusiastic and skilled amateur, he later contributed to photographic exhibitions. Rupert's favourite subject was Beatrix herself. Photography was an expensive and laborious process yet she appears to have endured patiently the elaborate choreography and the camera’s uncomfortably long exposure. Rupert's prolific legacy of several hundred photographs forms a broad pictorial account of Beatrix’s life from infancy to marriage.
Beatrix's grandparents lived at Camfield Place in Essendon. Some of Beatrix's happiest childhood moments were spent there - the 'place I love best in the world' - and the backgrounds to The Tale of Peter Rabbit were inspired by the Camfield estate. During the summer months the Potter family enjoyed extended summer holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, but they also spent many summers in Hertfordshire and rented houses near Camfield Place, including Bush Hall and Bedwell Lodge. This photograph of Rupert, Beatrix and Bertram Potter with their dog, Spot, was taken on 11 October 1883 while the family were renting Woodfield.
An artist himself, Rupert Potter (1832-1914) was probably the single greatest influence on his daughter's enduring passion for the arts and natural history and on her development as a writer and illustrator. Rupert took up photography in the 1860s when it was still a relatively new art form and was elected to the Photographic Society of London in 1869. An enthusiastic and skilled amateur, he later contributed to photographic exhibitions. Rupert's favourite subject was Beatrix herself. Photography was an expensive and laborious process yet she appears to have endured patiently the elaborate choreography and the camera’s uncomfortably long exposure. Rupert's prolific legacy of several hundred photographs forms a broad pictorial account of Beatrix’s life from infancy to marriage.
Beatrix's grandparents lived at Camfield Place in Essendon. Some of Beatrix's happiest childhood moments were spent there - the 'place I love best in the world' - and the backgrounds to The Tale of Peter Rabbit were inspired by the Camfield estate. During the summer months the Potter family enjoyed extended summer holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, but they also spent many summers in Hertfordshire and rented houses near Camfield Place, including Bush Hall and Bedwell Lodge. This photograph of Rupert, Beatrix and Bertram Potter with their dog, Spot, was taken on 11 October 1883 while the family were renting Woodfield.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Photograph of Rupert, Beatrix and Bertram Potter and their dog, Spot (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print on paper. |
| Brief description | Self-portrait by Rupert Potter (1832-1914) with Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), Bertram Potter (1872-1918) and their pet dog, Spot, probably taken at Woodfield, Essendon in Hertfordshire, 11 October 1883; albumen print by Rupert Potter. |
| Physical description | Photograph of Rupert Potter, Beatrix Potter and Bertram Potter seated on a gravel path near a grass verge with a large hedge immediately behind. Beatrix sits on the left of the photograph (Rupert's right) and Bertram sits on the right of the photograph (Rupert's left). Bertram and Rupert have placed their hats on the ground on their right. On the right of Beatrix lies Spot, the family dog. Beatrix holds her hat in her lap. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Joan Duke. |
| Object history | Self-portrait with Beatrix and Bertram Potter and dog, Spot, taken by Rupert Potter probably at Woodfield, Essendon in Hertfordshire on 11 October 1883. Photograph given to the Museum by Joan Duke in 1983. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | 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. An artist himself, Rupert Potter (1832-1914) was probably the single greatest influence on his daughter's enduring passion for the arts and natural history and on her development as a writer and illustrator. Rupert took up photography in the 1860s when it was still a relatively new art form and was elected to the Photographic Society of London in 1869. An enthusiastic and skilled amateur, he later contributed to photographic exhibitions. Rupert's favourite subject was Beatrix herself. Photography was an expensive and laborious process yet she appears to have endured patiently the elaborate choreography and the camera’s uncomfortably long exposure. Rupert's prolific legacy of several hundred photographs forms a broad pictorial account of Beatrix’s life from infancy to marriage. Beatrix's grandparents lived at Camfield Place in Essendon. Some of Beatrix's happiest childhood moments were spent there - the 'place I love best in the world' - and the backgrounds to The Tale of Peter Rabbit were inspired by the Camfield estate. During the summer months the Potter family enjoyed extended summer holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, but they also spent many summers in Hertfordshire and rented houses near Camfield Place, including Bush Hall and Bedwell Lodge. This photograph of Rupert, Beatrix and Bertram Potter with their dog, Spot, was taken on 11 October 1883 while the family were renting Woodfield. |
| Other number | AAD/1983/14/10 - V&A Archive number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | AR.14:10-1983 |
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| Record created | November 20, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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