Not currently on display at the V&A

Drawing

ca.1900 (drawn)
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 loved to sketch the landscape and natural world around her. She was less keen of, and adept at, sketching people. It is likely that these figures (and animals) are copies from the work of other illustrators, drawn at an early stage in her career. There are some clues as to the original sources of the illustrations such as the inscription 'C Keene', likely to refer to Charles Keene (1823-1891) a famous contributor of illustrations to Punch magazine. 'Corbould' is also inscribed, probably indicating Alfred Chantrey Corbould (1852-1920) a contributor to The Graphic magazine. The illustration of the man in a hunter's jacket riding a horse is also likely to be inspired by Randolf Caldecott's (1846-1886) The Three Jovial Huntsmen (1880). Potter was a known admirer of Caldecott's work.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Sepia ink over pencil on paper
Brief description
Drawing of figures, cart-horse, cow and a dog, sepia ink over pencil, by C. Keene?, Great Britain, ca.1900, Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.692
Physical description
Drawing in sepia ink over pencil comprising eleven small sketches of adults and children, a cart-horse, cow and dog. Men are all wearing top or bowler hats. Some sketches are head and shoulders only. Characters facing in a variety of directions.
Dimensions
  • Height: 150mm
  • Width: 190mm
Size of paper.
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
'C Keene' and 'Corbauld' (First inscription under full length man with back turned walking away from viewer. Second inscription underneath cow and above horse.)
Credit line
Linder Bequest [plus object number; written on labels on the same line as the object number]
Object history
Drawn by Beatrix Potter ca. 1900. 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.
Subjects depicted
Literary referenceRandolf Caldecott. The three jovial huntsmen. 1880
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 loved to sketch the landscape and natural world around her. She was less keen of, and adept at, sketching people. It is likely that these figures (and animals) are copies from the work of other illustrators, drawn at an early stage in her career. There are some clues as to the original sources of the illustrations such as the inscription 'C Keene', likely to refer to Charles Keene (1823-1891) a famous contributor of illustrations to Punch magazine. 'Corbould' is also inscribed, probably indicating Alfred Chantrey Corbould (1852-1920) a contributor to The Graphic magazine. The illustration of the man in a hunter's jacket riding a horse is also likely to be inspired by Randolf Caldecott's (1846-1886) The Three Jovial Huntsmen (1880). Potter was a known admirer of Caldecott's work.
Bibliographic references
  • 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.70, cat. no. 692
  • Potter, Beatrix and Leslie Linder (transcriptions). The Journal of Beatrix Potter from 1881 to 1897. London: Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., 1966. f.p. 417
Other number
LB.692 - Linder Bequest catalogue no.
Collection
Library number
BP.643

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Record createdOctober 18, 2013
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