The Tale of Peter Rabbit thumbnail 1
The Tale of Peter Rabbit thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Not currently on display at the V&A
On short term loan out for exhibition

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Book
December 1901 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

84 unnumbered pages, with 41 monochrome line illustrations and 1 colour frontispiece. Pale grey paper boards with flat spine. Upper cover with title, author and line illustration. With page numbers added in pencil and rewritings and alternations of parts of the text in pencil and ink. Scale of reduction of illustrations annotated in pencil on bottom right corner of each illustration. Three illustrations have been hand-coloured in watercolour.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Tale of Peter Rabbit (published title)
Materials and techniques
Three colour process and line block, typeset, watercolour, pen and pencil
Brief description
Book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, privately printed, first edition, December 1901. Used by Beatrix Potter as a working copy when planning Warne's edition. Library's copy E. Linder Bequest cat. no. LB 1734. NAL accession no. BP.585. (Proof of frontispiece was inserted but now mounted elsewhere).
Physical description
84 unnumbered pages, with 41 monochrome line illustrations and 1 colour frontispiece. Pale grey paper boards with flat spine. Upper cover with title, author and line illustration. With page numbers added in pencil and rewritings and alternations of parts of the text in pencil and ink. Scale of reduction of illustrations annotated in pencil on bottom right corner of each illustration. Three illustrations have been hand-coloured in watercolour.
Dimensions
  • Height: 13.4cm
  • Width: 10.5cm
  • Depth: 1.1cm
  • Closed height: 135mm
  • Closed width: 105mm
  • Closed depth: 12mm (Note: Mounted dimensions: H 85 X W 183 X 137 mm)
Measured on book measureing box.
Production typeLimited edition
Marks and inscriptions
  • Working Copy / 2 Bolton Gdns SW (Inscribed on the cover in pencil by Beatrix Potter)
  • "Copyright" (blocked in black on front cover)
Object history
Used as a working copy when planning the Warne edition of 1902.

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
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. 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.
Other numbers
  • BP.585 - NAL accession number
  • LB.1734 - Linder Bequest catalogue no.
Collection
Library number
38041005054085

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Record createdDecember 3, 2020
Record URL
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