View of a spiral staircase
Drawing
1882 (made)
1882 (made)
| 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 Original Peter Rabbit Books between 1901 and 1913. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale.
Before her marriage in 1913, Beatrix Potter would accompany her family to Scotland or to the Lake District for the summer months. She recorded her impressions of the places and people she visited in a journal written in code; her sketches of houses and gardens inspired some of the backgrounds in her book illustrations.
The staircase in this drawing has been thought to be that of St. Mary's Tower, Little Dunkeld, near Birnam, Perthshire. St. Mary's Tower was the Scottish seat of Henry J. B. Manners and its staircase is depicted in Sir John Everett Millais's 'The Grey Lady'. However, it is more likely that the staircase is in a church near Tenby; Beatrix Potter visited here in 1882.
Before her marriage in 1913, Beatrix Potter would accompany her family to Scotland or to the Lake District for the summer months. She recorded her impressions of the places and people she visited in a journal written in code; her sketches of houses and gardens inspired some of the backgrounds in her book illustrations.
The staircase in this drawing has been thought to be that of St. Mary's Tower, Little Dunkeld, near Birnam, Perthshire. St. Mary's Tower was the Scottish seat of Henry J. B. Manners and its staircase is depicted in Sir John Everett Millais's 'The Grey Lady'. However, it is more likely that the staircase is in a church near Tenby; Beatrix Potter visited here in 1882.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | View of a spiral staircase (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Sepia wash and pencil on card |
| Brief description | Drawing of a spiral staircase at Wray Castle by Beatrix Potter, 1882; Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.79. |
| Physical description | Sepia wash and pencil drawing of a spiral staircase, with stairs ascending on the left and descending on the right. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | Inscription in pencil on verso: 1882 |
| Credit line | Linder Bequest [plus object number; written on labels on the same line as the object number] |
| Object history | Drawn by Beatrix Potter. Acquired by the V&A from Leslie Linder (1904-1973) in 1973 as part of the Linder Bequest, a collection of ca. 2150 watercolours, drawings, literary manuscripts, correspondence, books, photographs, and other memorabilia associated with Beatrix Potter and her family. |
| Historical context | Drawn at Wray Castle. The staircase leads to the roof of Wray Castle confirmed on a visit 2021). A Bilclough |
| 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 Original Peter Rabbit Books between 1901 and 1913. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale. Before her marriage in 1913, Beatrix Potter would accompany her family to Scotland or to the Lake District for the summer months. She recorded her impressions of the places and people she visited in a journal written in code; her sketches of houses and gardens inspired some of the backgrounds in her book illustrations. The staircase in this drawing has been thought to be that of St. Mary's Tower, Little Dunkeld, near Birnam, Perthshire. St. Mary's Tower was the Scottish seat of Henry J. B. Manners and its staircase is depicted in Sir John Everett Millais's 'The Grey Lady'. However, it is more likely that the staircase is in a church near Tenby; Beatrix Potter visited here in 1882. |
| Bibliographic reference | Hobbs, Anne Stevenson, and Joyce Irene Whalley, eds. Beatrix Potter: the V & A collection : the Leslie Linder bequest of Beatrix Potter material : watercolours, drawings, manuscripts, books, photographs and memorabilia. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1985.
Hobbs, Anne Stevenson, and Joyce Irene Whalley, eds. Beatrix Potter: the V & A collection: the Leslie Linder bequest of Beatrix Potter material: watercolours, drawings, manuscripts, books, photographs and memorabilia. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1985. |
| Other number | LB.79 - Linder Bequest catalogue no. |
| Collection | |
| Library number | BP.287 |
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| Record created | September 14, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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