Alphabet designs
Drawing
ca.1895
ca.1895
| Artist/Maker |
Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is one of the world's best-loved children's authors and illustrators. She wrote the majority of the twenty-three Original Peter Rabbit Books between 1901 and 1913. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale.
Many of Beatrix Potter’s imaginary drawings were made in the 1890s, before she published her books. These alphabet designs may have been made to amuse children that she knew: the ‘T’ is also an umbrella for a rabbit caught in the rain, the ‘C’ is a comfy seat for a mouse, while the letters ‘A’ and ‘W’ form the entrance-way to a rabbit’s roost.
Many of Beatrix Potter’s imaginary drawings were made in the 1890s, before she published her books. These alphabet designs may have been made to amuse children that she knew: the ‘T’ is also an umbrella for a rabbit caught in the rain, the ‘C’ is a comfy seat for a mouse, while the letters ‘A’ and ‘W’ form the entrance-way to a rabbit’s roost.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Alphabet designs |
| Materials and techniques | pencil on paper |
| Brief description | Designs for a few letters of the alphabet (T, C, Y, A and W) featuring mice and rabbits by Beatrix Potter, ca. 1895; Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.1061 |
| Physical description | A sheet with five designs for capital letters: in the upper centre a letter 'T' used as an umbrella by a rabbit; in the centre left a letter 'C', which a mouse facing away from the viewer sits in; in the centre right a letter 'Y' chewed by a mouse; in the lower left a latter 'A' and in the lower right the letter 'W', both the entrance ways to roosts used by rabbits. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'H.B.P.' (Inscribed in pencil by the artist, lower right.) |
| Gallery label | Potter created these alphabet designs to amuse some children. Her clever use of the letterforms adds gentle humour. The letter C becomes a seat for a mouse and the A and W become chinks in a fence. Most notable is the T, which serves as umbrella for a rather wretched-looking rabbit.(March 2019) |
| Credit line | Linder Bequest [plus object number; written on labels on the same line as the object number] |
| Object history | 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 | |
| Summary | Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is one of the world's best-loved children's authors and illustrators. She wrote the majority of the twenty-three Original Peter Rabbit Books between 1901 and 1913. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale. Many of Beatrix Potter’s imaginary drawings were made in the 1890s, before she published her books. These alphabet designs may have been made to amuse children that she knew: the ‘T’ is also an umbrella for a rabbit caught in the rain, the ‘C’ is a comfy seat for a mouse, while the letters ‘A’ and ‘W’ form the entrance-way to a rabbit’s roost. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | LB.1061 - Linder Bequest catalogue no. |
| Collection | |
| Library number | BP.440(b) |
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| Record created | July 29, 2016 |
| Record URL |
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