This magical, family-friendly exhibition celebrates the creative and ecological achievements of the beloved English author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866–1943). In The Tale of Peter Rabbit, first published in London in 1901, and twenty-two other children’s books, Potter imagined an enchanting world of animals and gardens.
Through letters, photographs, sketches, watercolors, and more, this exhibition explores how Potter developed her stories and characters. It also reveals that Potter’s books were just one manifestation of her love of nature—she engaged in scientific studies, farming, and land conservation as well. Drawn to Nature shows all these facets of Potter’s remarkable life and legacy in vibrant detail.
Created by the V&A – Touring the World
Supported in part by the
Sandra Schatten Foundation
Presented in part by
Exhibition gallery
Rupert Potter. Beatrix Potter aged 15 with the family’s spaniel, Spot, ca. 1881. Albumen print on paper; 8 x 1/2 in. V&A: Linder Bequest BP.1425. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.
Beatrix Potter. Mrs. Rabbit, 1927. Watercolor and pen and ink on paper; 6 x 4 3/4 in. V&A: Linder Bequest BP.548. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.
Beatrix Potter. Spring, Harescombe Grange, Gloucestershire, ca. 1903. Watercolor and pen and ink on paper; 11 1/2 x 9 in. V&A: Linder Collection LC 4/A/1, given by the Linder Collection. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.
Beatrix Potter. Apple Dapply at a cupboard and running with a plate of tarts, 1891. Watercolor on paper; 11 x 6 in. V&A: LC 29/A/1–2, given by the Linder Collection. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd and the Linder Collection
Beatrix Potter. Early endpaper design, second version, 1903. Watercolor, ink, and pencil on paper mounted on card; 7 1/2 x 5 2/3 in. V&A: Linder Bequest BP.460. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.
Beatrix Potter. Monk Coniston Moor, 1909. Watercolor and pencil on paper; 7 x 10 in. V&A: BP.1057. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.
Events and programs
Curator’s Perspective: Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature
Lecture: Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life
