Lady rabbit and gentleman rabbit passing on the street
Watercolour
June 1890 (made)
June 1890 (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 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.
In 1890 Beatrix Potter and her brother, Bertram, hoped to buy a printing machine. Bertram suggested that Beatrix sell her imaginary drawings to raise funds. The printer Hildesheimer & Faulkner purchased six designs, including this one, from Beatrix and printed them as Christmas and New Year cards. In this design, a gentleman rabbit passes a lady rabbit on the street, holding mistletoe. The humour and accurate depictions of animal anatomy seen in Potter’s greetings card designs anticipate her book illustrations.
In 1890 Beatrix Potter and her brother, Bertram, hoped to buy a printing machine. Bertram suggested that Beatrix sell her imaginary drawings to raise funds. The printer Hildesheimer & Faulkner purchased six designs, including this one, from Beatrix and printed them as Christmas and New Year cards. In this design, a gentleman rabbit passes a lady rabbit on the street, holding mistletoe. The humour and accurate depictions of animal anatomy seen in Potter’s greetings card designs anticipate her book illustrations.
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Object details
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| Materials and techniques | watercolour and pen and ink on paper |
| Brief description | Watercolour and pen and ink drawing of a lady rabbit and gentleman rabbit passing on the street, a design for a Christmas card made by Beatrix Potter in 1890; Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.1769. |
| Physical description | Watercolour and pen and ink design showing a lady rabbit and a gentleman rabbit passing in the street, the lady rabbit holding a fur muff and umbrella and the gentleman rabbit holding mistletoe. Mounted with a pen and ink version of the same design; accession number BP.443(b), Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.1770. |
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| Production type | Unique |
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| Credit line | Linder Bequest [plus object number; written on labels on the same line as the object number] |
| Object history | Drawn by Beatrix Potter at 2 Bolton Gardens, South Kensington in June 1890. 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. |
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| Association | |
| 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. In 1890 Beatrix Potter and her brother, Bertram, hoped to buy a printing machine. Bertram suggested that Beatrix sell her imaginary drawings to raise funds. The printer Hildesheimer & Faulkner purchased six designs, including this one, from Beatrix and printed them as Christmas and New Year cards. In this design, a gentleman rabbit passes a lady rabbit on the street, holding mistletoe. The humour and accurate depictions of animal anatomy seen in Potter’s greetings card designs anticipate her book illustrations. |
| Associated object | |
| 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.
p.191; no.1769
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. p.191; no.1769 |
| Other number | LB.1769 - Linder Bequest catalogue no. |
| Collection | |
| Library number | BP.443(a) |
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| Record created | April 22, 2015 |
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