Letter to Eric Moore
Illustrated Letter
28/03/1894 (writing (processes))
28/03/1894 (writing (processes))
| 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.
Potter conceived several of her published tales in illustrated letters to the children of her former governess, Annie Moore (neé Carter). She wrote the earliest version of The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1893 in a picture letter to Annie's eldest son, Nöel, who was very ill. Potter remarked that the secret to the success of The Tale of Peter Rabbit was that it was 'written to a child - not made to order’. She wrote other tales to Nöel's younger brother, Eric Moore (1888-1971), including The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher.
First published in America in February 1870, Lear’s much loved rhyme of the owl and the pussy-cat appeared in England in time for Christmas 1870 as the opening song in Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets (London: Robert John Bush, 1871). Potter's father, Rupert, presented her with a copy of Lear's book as a Christmas present when she was four years old; it became a favourite childhood book.
In this letter to Eric Moore, Potter refers to Lear's rhyme of the owl and the pussy-cat: 'I have read about the owl & the pussy cat, who went to sea in a peagreen boat, but I never saw anything of that kind till today'. She goes on to tell Eric her own story about a pig which lives on board a ship but flees in a little rowing boat when the ship's cook wants to make it into sausages. The pig lives the remainder of its life on Robinson Crusoe's Island. The story was probably an early inspiration for Potter's Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930).
Potter conceived several of her published tales in illustrated letters to the children of her former governess, Annie Moore (neé Carter). She wrote the earliest version of The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1893 in a picture letter to Annie's eldest son, Nöel, who was very ill. Potter remarked that the secret to the success of The Tale of Peter Rabbit was that it was 'written to a child - not made to order’. She wrote other tales to Nöel's younger brother, Eric Moore (1888-1971), including The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher.
First published in America in February 1870, Lear’s much loved rhyme of the owl and the pussy-cat appeared in England in time for Christmas 1870 as the opening song in Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets (London: Robert John Bush, 1871). Potter's father, Rupert, presented her with a copy of Lear's book as a Christmas present when she was four years old; it became a favourite childhood book.
In this letter to Eric Moore, Potter refers to Lear's rhyme of the owl and the pussy-cat: 'I have read about the owl & the pussy cat, who went to sea in a peagreen boat, but I never saw anything of that kind till today'. She goes on to tell Eric her own story about a pig which lives on board a ship but flees in a little rowing boat when the ship's cook wants to make it into sausages. The pig lives the remainder of its life on Robinson Crusoe's Island. The story was probably an early inspiration for Potter's Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Letter to Eric Moore (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Pen and ink and ink on paper |
| Brief description | Illustrated letter from Beatrix Potter to Eric Moore, sent from Pendennis Hotel, Falmouth, on 28 March 1894; containing preliminary ideas for The Tale of Little Pig Robinson; Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.1463. |
| Physical description | Letter written in ink with pen and ink illustrations, on a sheet of paper (folded to make four pages). Page [1], i.e. sheet 1 recto right side, has text and two pen and ink vignettes, page [2], i.e. sheet 2 verso left side, is blank, page [3], i.e. sheet 2 verso right side has text and two vignettes, and page [4], i.e. sheet 1 recto left side has text and three vignettes. Verso of sheet 2 is blank. |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | Many picture letters Potter wrote to children later became storybooks. This early version of The Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930) merges fiction with real life. On discovering that a live pig on board a ship was destined to become the crew’s dinner, Potter imagines it escaping in a boat. She seems to have laid out the story as pictures before writing the text.(March 2019) |
| Credit line | Linder Bequest [plus object number; written on labels on the same line as the object number] |
| Object history | Written by Beatrix Potter to Eric Moore on 28 March 1894, whilst staying at the Pendennis Hotel in Falmouth. 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. |
| Production | Written whilst staying at the Pendennis Hotel, Falmouth |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Association | |
| Literary references |
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| 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. Potter conceived several of her published tales in illustrated letters to the children of her former governess, Annie Moore (neé Carter). She wrote the earliest version of The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1893 in a picture letter to Annie's eldest son, Nöel, who was very ill. Potter remarked that the secret to the success of The Tale of Peter Rabbit was that it was 'written to a child - not made to order’. She wrote other tales to Nöel's younger brother, Eric Moore (1888-1971), including The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher. First published in America in February 1870, Lear’s much loved rhyme of the owl and the pussy-cat appeared in England in time for Christmas 1870 as the opening song in Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets (London: Robert John Bush, 1871). Potter's father, Rupert, presented her with a copy of Lear's book as a Christmas present when she was four years old; it became a favourite childhood book. In this letter to Eric Moore, Potter refers to Lear's rhyme of the owl and the pussy-cat: 'I have read about the owl & the pussy cat, who went to sea in a peagreen boat, but I never saw anything of that kind till today'. She goes on to tell Eric her own story about a pig which lives on board a ship but flees in a little rowing boat when the ship's cook wants to make it into sausages. The pig lives the remainder of its life on Robinson Crusoe's Island. The story was probably an early inspiration for Potter's Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930). |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Hobbs and Whalley, Beatrix Potter : the V&A Collection, London, 1985'
Brief catalogue entry, no. 1463 |
| Other number | LB.1463 - Linder Bequest catalogue no. |
| Collection | |
| Library number | BP.877 |
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| Record created | January 30, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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