Interior of the potting-shed at Bedwell Lodge, Hertfordshire thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Interior of the potting-shed at Bedwell Lodge, Hertfordshire

Drawing
08/1891 (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.

As well as an accomplished story-teller, Beatrix Potter was also a keen nature artist. Her menagerie of pets included rabbits, frogs, squirrels, mice and hedgehogs. When illustrating her tales she would always sketch her fictional characters from live models and often depicted real places in the backgrounds.

During the summer of 1891, the Potter family visited Bedwell Lodge, Hertfordshire. Beatrix Potter produced several sketches of the potting-shed which later was to inspire her illustration of Mr. McGregor's tool-shed in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. In the story, Peter Rabbit runs into the tool-shed to escape from Mr. McGregor and hides inside a watering-can.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleInterior of the potting-shed at Bedwell Lodge, Hertfordshire (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Crayon on paper
Brief description
Drawing; interior of the potting-shed at Bedwell Lodge, Hertfordshire by Beatrix Potter, 1891; Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.492.
Physical description
Crayon drawing on paper of the interior of a potting-shed with a watering-can on the left and gardening tools, including a fork, rake and broom, on the right. The door of the potting-shed is open.
Dimensions
  • Whole object height: 229mm
  • Whole object width: 165mm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • Inscription in crayon on recto: Aug.91.'40 [sic]
  • Drawing pin holes
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 Bedwell Lodge in August 1891. Acquired by the V&A from Leslie Linder (1904-1973) as part of the Linder Bequest in 1973.
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Literary referenceThe potting-shed depicted in this illustration inspired Beatrix Potter’s illustration of Mr. McGregor’s tool-shed in The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902).
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.

As well as an accomplished story-teller, Beatrix Potter was also a keen nature artist. Her menagerie of pets included rabbits, frogs, squirrels, mice and hedgehogs. When illustrating her tales she would always sketch her fictional characters from live models and often depicted real places in the backgrounds.

During the summer of 1891, the Potter family visited Bedwell Lodge, Hertfordshire. Beatrix Potter produced several sketches of the potting-shed which later was to inspire her illustration of Mr. McGregor's tool-shed in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. In the story, Peter Rabbit runs into the tool-shed to escape from Mr. McGregor and hides inside a watering-can.
Associated object
BP.431 (Object)
Bibliographic reference
'Hobbs and Whalley, Beatrix Potter : the V&A Collection, London, 1985' Brief catalogue entry, no. 492.
Other number
LB.492 - Linder Bequest catalogue no.
Collection
Library number
BP.279

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Record createdSeptember 13, 2006
Record URL
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