Who was Beatrix Potter?
Beatrix Potter was an English writer, illustrator and conservationist, best known for The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other small books about animals. She also helped preserve the Lake District landscape.
Potter was born in London in 1866 into a wealthy family. As a child, she kept pets, including rabbits, mice and hedgehogs, which she drew and painted.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit began as an illustrated letter to a sick child in 1893. It was published privately in 1901 and then by Frederick Warne in 1902.
Her books
Potter wrote 23 small books, featuring characters such as Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Squirrel Nutkin and Tom Kitten. Her watercolor illustrations are much admired.
She was also a talented scientist, studying fungi. Her research was not fully recognized in her lifetime because she was a woman.
With money from her books, Potter bought Hill Top farm in the Lake District. She became a sheep farmer, breeding Herdwick sheep.
When she died in 1943, she left more than 4,000 acres of land and 14 farms to the National Trust. Hill Top is now open to visitors.