The Weasel's Poultry Shop
Drawing
ca. 1891 (drawn)
ca. 1891 (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.
This drawing of a poultry shop run by a weasel ‘unlicensed to sell game’ is full of humour, the addition of written puns such as ‘Sparrows are CHEAP today’ adding to the effect. The study also reflects Potter’s keen interest in natural history; her understanding of the natural world was far from sentimental. She studied the anatomy of animals and the dead animals shown within the sketch are approached with an eye to scientific accuracy.
This drawing of a poultry shop run by a weasel ‘unlicensed to sell game’ is full of humour, the addition of written puns such as ‘Sparrows are CHEAP today’ adding to the effect. The study also reflects Potter’s keen interest in natural history; her understanding of the natural world was far from sentimental. She studied the anatomy of animals and the dead animals shown within the sketch are approached with an eye to scientific accuracy.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Weasel's Poultry Shop (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | pencil on paper |
| Brief description | Pencil drawing of a weasel in a poultry shop by Beatrix Potter, Great Britain, ca. 1891; Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.1010. |
| Physical description | A pencil drawing showing the poultry shop signed 'W.WEASEL unlicensed to sell GAME' with the weasel shopkeeper in the doorway on the left and, to the right, dead birds, mice and rats hanging up for sale, with a basket of eggs. Signs within the shop read 'Game & Mice from our own Preserves' and 'Fresh Poultry Nightly from Cucumber Farm'. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | '[Rough Sketch "Sparrows are CHEAP today"]' (Inscribed in pencil by the artist, lower left; for inscriptions within the drawing see physical description. ) |
| 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. 1891. 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 | |
| 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. This drawing of a poultry shop run by a weasel ‘unlicensed to sell game’ is full of humour, the addition of written puns such as ‘Sparrows are CHEAP today’ adding to the effect. The study also reflects Potter’s keen interest in natural history; her understanding of the natural world was far from sentimental. She studied the anatomy of animals and the dead animals shown within the sketch are approached with an eye to scientific accuracy. |
| 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.112; no.1010
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.112; no.1010 |
| Other number | LB.1010 - Linder Bequest catalogue no. |
| Collection | |
| Library number | BP.1193 |
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| Record created | March 2, 2016 |
| Record URL |
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