1896 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Walter Bertram Potter (1872-1918), known as Bertram, was the younger brother of the children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. As a child he shared his sister's passions for drawing and natural history and it was he who first encouraged Beatrix to publish some early rabbit drawings as greetings cards in 1890.
Bertram's work informed that of his sister. On 25 July 1905 Beatrix Potter wrote to Frederick Warne & Co. to suggest the cause of some 'spottyness' on the printing blocks of her book illustrations: 'I have seen my brother's copperplate etchings go exactly the same way, especially if using a mixture of hydrochloric & nitric acid. I think H.Cl. feels the heat most & they split'. Beatrix later based several of her illustrations to The Fairy Caravan (1929) on Bertram's etchings of rocky Lake District landscapes.
Although overshadowed by the success of his sister, Bertram became an artist in his own right. He produced much larger scale oil paintings and etchings and exhibited work at the Royal Academy.
Bertram's work informed that of his sister. On 25 July 1905 Beatrix Potter wrote to Frederick Warne & Co. to suggest the cause of some 'spottyness' on the printing blocks of her book illustrations: 'I have seen my brother's copperplate etchings go exactly the same way, especially if using a mixture of hydrochloric & nitric acid. I think H.Cl. feels the heat most & they split'. Beatrix later based several of her illustrations to The Fairy Caravan (1929) on Bertram's etchings of rocky Lake District landscapes.
Although overshadowed by the success of his sister, Bertram became an artist in his own right. He produced much larger scale oil paintings and etchings and exhibited work at the Royal Academy.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Etching on paper |
| Brief description | Etching of a kestrel by Bertram Potter, Great Britain, 1896. |
| Physical description | Kestrel on a branch tilting its head. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Limited edition |
| Marks and inscriptions | Walter B. Potter (In pencil on recto) |
| Credit line | Given by Joan Duke |
| Object history | Etched by Bertram Potter in the 1890s. Acquired by the V&A from Joan Duke in October 2006. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Walter Bertram Potter (1872-1918), known as Bertram, was the younger brother of the children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. As a child he shared his sister's passions for drawing and natural history and it was he who first encouraged Beatrix to publish some early rabbit drawings as greetings cards in 1890. Bertram's work informed that of his sister. On 25 July 1905 Beatrix Potter wrote to Frederick Warne & Co. to suggest the cause of some 'spottyness' on the printing blocks of her book illustrations: 'I have seen my brother's copperplate etchings go exactly the same way, especially if using a mixture of hydrochloric & nitric acid. I think H.Cl. feels the heat most & they split'. Beatrix later based several of her illustrations to The Fairy Caravan (1929) on Bertram's etchings of rocky Lake District landscapes. Although overshadowed by the success of his sister, Bertram became an artist in his own right. He produced much larger scale oil paintings and etchings and exhibited work at the Royal Academy. |
| Other number | AAD/2006/4/436 - V&A Archive number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | AR.4:436-2006 |
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| Record created | February 6, 2019 |
| Record URL |
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