Not on display

Red miniature postbox

Mailboxes
early 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Lucie Carr was the girl who features in Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle (1905). Potter (1866-1943) wanted to put the young daughter of the Vicar of Newlands into a tale: a tale about a hedgehog seemed most appropriate as Lucie spent time playing with Tiggy (Potter's hedgehog) when her parents visited the Potters during their stay at Lingholm near Derwentwater in the Lake District.

This miniature post box was given to Lucie when she was a child by Potter. Potter would provide Lucie with miniature letters, most often from characters in her tales, addressed to each other. These could be inserted into the postbox.

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
TitleRed miniature postbox (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted metal (tin?) with pasted on printed paper
Brief description
Toy letterbox, unknown maker, Great Britain, early 20th century.
Physical description
Miniature red painted postbox with a black painted lid. Metal showing through in several places. "For London & Places Abroad. Next Collection 6 15 am"... printed on paper pasted on the front. Bottom missing.
Dimensions
  • Height: 70mm
  • Width: 38mm
  • Depth: 30mm
Credit line
Given by Lucie Carr
Object history
Given by Beatrix Potter to Lucie Carr. Given to the V&A Museum by Lucie Carr.
Association
Summary
Lucie Carr was the girl who features in Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle (1905). Potter (1866-1943) wanted to put the young daughter of the Vicar of Newlands into a tale: a tale about a hedgehog seemed most appropriate as Lucie spent time playing with Tiggy (Potter's hedgehog) when her parents visited the Potters during their stay at Lingholm near Derwentwater in the Lake District.

This miniature post box was given to Lucie when she was a child by Potter. Potter would provide Lucie with miniature letters, most often from characters in her tales, addressed to each other. These could be inserted into the postbox.

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
Other number
AAD/1996/12/16 - V&A Archive number
Collection
Accession number
AR:12:16-1996

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Record createdMarch 23, 2012
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