Sidmouth thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Sidmouth

Watercolour
15 April 1902 (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.

Beatrix Potter made a number of watercolours of south Devon characterised by a bright palette and broad brushstrokes. This sheet shows Sidmouth Beach. Potter is known to have visited Sidmouth on a number of occasions, including in March 1899, April 1901 – when she made this watercolour-, April 1902, September 1904 (possibly), and Easter 1910. This sheet is somewhat unusual within Potter’s landscape studies for its depiction of the people present on the beach – here as much a part of the scene as the surrounding landscape.

The West Country also inspired some of Potter’s writing: she conceived The Tale of Little Pig Robinson (published 1930) whilst staying in south Devon in 1883. The story’s setting is the ‘pretty little town’ of ‘Stymouth’ – a fictional blend of Sidmouth and Teignmouth in south Devon with Lyme Regis in Dorset.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSidmouth (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
watercolour and pencil on paper
Brief description
Watercolour view of Sidmouth Beach with figures and cliffs; by Beatrix Potter in Sidmouth, 15 April 1902; Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.601.
Physical description
Watercolour landscape with a sandy beach and figures in the foreground, sea in the midground and cliffs to the right and also beyond the water, where the bay curves round.
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 202mm
  • Sheet width: 273mm
Style
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Sidmouth april 15th 02.' (Inscribed in pencil by the artist, lower right.)
  • ''Like some tall cliff' / Sidmouth, Devon / H B Potter.' (Inscribed in ink on the previously attached mount sheet.)
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 Sidmouth, Devon, 15th April 1904. 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
Place depicted
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.

Beatrix Potter made a number of watercolours of south Devon characterised by a bright palette and broad brushstrokes. This sheet shows Sidmouth Beach. Potter is known to have visited Sidmouth on a number of occasions, including in March 1899, April 1901 – when she made this watercolour-, April 1902, September 1904 (possibly), and Easter 1910. This sheet is somewhat unusual within Potter’s landscape studies for its depiction of the people present on the beach – here as much a part of the scene as the surrounding landscape.

The West Country also inspired some of Potter’s writing: she conceived The Tale of Little Pig Robinson (published 1930) whilst staying in south Devon in 1883. The story’s setting is the ‘pretty little town’ of ‘Stymouth’ – a fictional blend of Sidmouth and Teignmouth in south Devon with Lyme Regis in Dorset.
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.64; no.601 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.64; no.601
Other number
LB.601 - Linder Bequest catalogue no.
Collection
Library number
BP.242

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Record createdFebruary 26, 2016
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