Naturalist, Illustrator, and Business Woman

When I was growing up, my parents exposed me to lots of classic children’s stories. At the time I didn’t realize that many of the books they gave me had been published decades before my birth – Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, and Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit to name a few.

Before she wrote about Peter Rabbit, Helen Beatrix Potter was a naturalist and illustrator. Born in 1866 in South Kensington, England to wealthy parents, she was educated by a series of governesses. The house was constantly filled with a menagerie of pets, and Beatrix was encouraged to pursue her artistic talents by drawing them. She developed an interest in the natural sciences, particularly fungi, and in her early 30s wrote a paper titled “On the Germination of the Spores of Agaricineae” which was presented to the Linnean Society on her behalf. (Women were not allowed in this all male organization.) 

She earned a living by selling her artwork to greeting card companies and providing illustrations to a number of publishers, but continued to study nature. It wasn’t until 1901 that she self-published her first children’s book based on a picture letter about her pet rabbit Benjamin Bouncer she had sent to a family friend. The book was so popular that the publisher who originally turned her down offered to publish it if she would redo the illustrations in color. Followed up by The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and The Tailor of Gloucester, the stories were a commercial success. Twenty more books would follow.

Peter Rabbit Board Game

A savvy business woman, Beatrix created and registered a Peter Rabbit doll with the Patent Office. A board game, painting books, and wallpaper were also produced during her lifetime. The merchandising efforts added to her financial success, and she was able to purchase Hill Top Farm in the Lake District. Four years later she purchased the property across the street, Castle Farm where she bred and raised Herdwick Sheep. Her deep interest in nature led her to become an enthusiastic supporter of land conservation and one of the early benefactors of England’s National Trust.

Not surprising, when she died on December 22, 1943, Beatrix bequeathed fifteen farms and over 4,000 acres to the National Trust.

What is your favorite children’s book?

Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, journalist, blogger, and history geek. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry, Linda has lived in historical places most of her life. She is a volunteer docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and a Trustee for her local public library. Active in her church Linda serves as treasurer, usher, and choir member. To find out more about Linda and her books visit www.LindaShentonMatchett.com. Sign up for her newsletter for links to free books, book reviews, historical tidbits, and more.