Request to view

This object can be requested via email from the Prints & Drawings Study Room

Image of Gallery in South Kensington

A happy pair

Drawing
1890 (drawn)
Artist/Maker
Beatrix Potter (artist)
Place of origin
2 Bolton Gardens (drawn)

Drawing in pencil of two rabbits walking through the snow, huddled under an umbrella. Male rabbit to the left in a frock coat, female rabbit on the right in cloak with cape with basket over her left fore-paw. Snow covered trees, a cottage, two fences (one with a stile) in the background.

Object details

Categories
Drawings
Animals and Wildlife
Anthropomorphism
Greeting Cards
Illustration
Woman Artist
Object type
drawing
TitleA happy pair (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Pencil on paper
Pencil
Paper (Fiber Product)
Drawing (Image-Making)
Brief description
Drawing, A happy pair: greeting card design, pencil, by Beatrix Potter, Bolton Gardens, probably 1890, Linder Collection object no. LC.20.B.4, catalogue no. 7.2
Physical description
Drawing in pencil of two rabbits walking through the snow, huddled under an umbrella. Male rabbit to the left in a frock coat, female rabbit on the right in cloak with cape with basket over her left fore-paw. Snow covered trees, a cottage, two fences (one with a stile) in the background.
Dimensions
  • Height: 209mm
  • Width: 300mm
Size of paper.
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'red cloak, green umbrella, snow -' (In pencil in large handwriting.)
  • 'D' (Underlined. One of the designs submitted to Hildesheimer and Faulkner in 1890, for which the rabbit Benjamin Bouncer served as model (design D). Designs A and D are LC.20.B.1 and LC.20.B.2. Designs E-I are in the Linder Bequest (LB 1771-1772, 1774, 1777-1778).)
  • 'REGINA / NOTE / [monogram within shield]' (Watermark.)
Credit line
Given by the Linder Collection
Object history
Given by Leslie Linder (1904-1973) to the National Book League (now the Book Trust) in 1970 as part of a representative selection of Beatrix Potter's work. This selection, comprising 279 drawings and 38 early editions and now known as the Linder Collection, was formerly on long-term loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum between 1989 and 2019 form the charitable trust, The Linder Trust.
Subjects depicted
Rabbits
Snow
Umbrella
Basket
Cottage
Frock Coat
Bibliographic references
  • Hobbs, Anne Stevenson (compiler). The Linder Collection of the works and drawings of Beatrix Potter: catalogue of works on paper. London: The Trustees of the Linder Collection, 1996 (1999 reprint). p.50, cat. no. 7.2
  • Weatherly, F. E. A Happy Pair. London, [1890]. Features as front cover and illustration no. 3
Other numbers
  • LOAN:LINDER TRUST.188-1994 - Previous Loan Number
  • 7.2 - Linder Collection catalogue no.
Collection
National Art Library
Library number
LC 20/B/4

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJuly 18, 2013
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1267019/a-happy-pair-drawing-beatrix-potter/
Download as: JSON