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Lady rabbit and gentleman rabbit passing on the street

Drawing
1890 (made)
Artist/Maker

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.

In 1890 Beatrix Potter and her brother, Bertram, hoped to buy a printing machine. Bertram suggested that Beatrix sell her imaginary drawings to raise funds. The printer Hildesheimer & Faulkner purchased six designs from Beatrix and printed them as Christmas and New Year cards. This is a study for a design submitted to Hildesheimer & Faulkner. In this design, a gentleman rabbit passes a lady rabbit on the street, holding mistletoe. The humour and accurate depictions of animal anatomy seen in Potter’s greetings card designs anticipate her book illustrations. The design is mounted alongside the more finished watercolour version.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Lady rabbit and gentleman rabbit passing on the street (generic title)
  • Design for Hildesheimer and Faulkner (published title)
Materials and techniques
pen and ink on paper
Brief description
Pen and ink drawing of a lady rabbit and gentleman rabbit passing on the street, a design for a Christmas card made by Beatrix Potter in 1890; Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.1770.
Physical description
Pen and ink design showing a lady rabbit and a gentleman rabbit passing in the street, the lady rabbit holding a fur muff and umbrella and the gentleman rabbit holding mistletoe. Mounted with a more finished version of the same design (accession number BP.443(a), Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.1769).
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 13.9cm
  • Sheet width: 10.3cm
Style
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Linder Bequest [plus object number; written on labels on the same line as the object number]
Object history
Drawn by Beatrix Potter in 1890. 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
Association
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.

In 1890 Beatrix Potter and her brother, Bertram, hoped to buy a printing machine. Bertram suggested that Beatrix sell her imaginary drawings to raise funds. The printer Hildesheimer & Faulkner purchased six designs from Beatrix and printed them as Christmas and New Year cards. This is a study for a design submitted to Hildesheimer & Faulkner. In this design, a gentleman rabbit passes a lady rabbit on the street, holding mistletoe. The humour and accurate depictions of animal anatomy seen in Potter’s greetings card designs anticipate her book illustrations. The design is mounted alongside the more finished watercolour version.
Associated object
Bibliographic reference
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.191; no.1770 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.191; no.1770
Other number
LB.1770 - Linder Bequest catalogue no.
Collection
Library number
BP.443(b)

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Record createdApril 22, 2015
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