Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was one of the world’s best-selling and most deeply loved children’s authors. Her most popular book, “Peter Rabbit,” has been in print since it was first released 120 years ago.
Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was one of the world’s best-selling and most deeply loved children’s authors. Her most popular book, “Peter Rabbit,” has been in print since it was first released 120 years ago.
Special thanks to Mercedes-Benz, our exclusive sponsor this month! From their early days, Mercedes-Benz has built a legacy championing women to achieve the unexpected. Join us all month long as we celebrate women who have led dynamic lives that have shifted, evolved and bloomed, often later in life, eventually achieving the success for which they were destined from the start.
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Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. And this is Womanica.
This month, we’re highlighting women who’ve led dynamic lives. Lives that have shifted, evolved and bloomed, often later in life.
Today’s dynamo is one of the world’s best-selling and most deeply loved children’s authors. Her most popular book, “Peter Rabbit,” has been in print since it was first released 120 years ago. Quaint, silly, and occasionally gruesome, her stories starred hedgehogs wearing bonnets, tortoises attending dinner parties, and rats baking cats into pudding.
Let’s talk about Beatrix Potter.
Helen Beatrix Potter was born July 28th, 1866 in London. Her parents both came from wealthy textile families, with a love for the arts. Her mother, Helen, enjoyed embroidery. And her father Rupert was an avid photographer – a new artform at the time.
Beatrix was educated at home by governesses who fostered in her a love for art and literature. When she wasn’t learning languages or reading fairy tales, she was drawing her own versions of the characters from stories like Cinderella or Alice in Wonderland.
Beatrix kept a journal, where she wrote in secret code. To others, she was quiet and respectful, like any posh Victorian child should be. In the privacy of her journal, she was brash, honest and sometimes funny. She wrote about her daily life and her opinions on art and current events. In her sketchbook, she satiated what she once called an “irresistible desire to copy any beautiful object which strikes the eye.” To hone her skills, she visited the South Kensington Museum and tried to copy the paintings.
Beatrix preferred reading and drawing to going outside in the big city. In her journal, she questioned why people lived among the grime and noise of London. She much preferred nature. And her family often escaped the hurly-burly of the city for holidays in the English Lake District or the Scottish countryside. There, Beatrix could explore the natural landscape.
Beatrix also had a deep love for animals. She and her brother Bertram kept many pets. Snakes, salamanders, rabbits, frogs, tortoises, hedgehogs, mice, and bats all found home in their nursery at one point or another. The siblings also kept a cabinet filled with insects, shells, rocks, and fossils.
Beatrix’s favorite pet was a rabbit named Benjamin Bouncer, and she wrote stories about him. In 1892, she sent an illustrated letter to Noel Moore, the son of her former governess. The letter detailed Benjamin’s imaginary adventures. After Benjamin passed away, another rabbit, Peter Piper, became the new protagonist of her stories.
Beatrix sent many stories to Noel and his siblings. Noel’s mother suggested she turn them into books, and in 1901, Beatrix did. She self-published “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” about a mischievous rabbit in a blue coat with brass buttons. The book was small, so it could fit in children’s hands. She also wanted to make sure the book was affordable.
Because of these particularities, publishers initially turned down “Peter Rabbit.” But in 1902, Frederick Warne & Co. gave an abridged version of the book a wider release. The book took off. Edition after edition sold out. The publisher wanted more. And Beatrix provided. In addition to books, Beatrix sold related merchandise like board games, wallpapers, dolls, and painting books.
During this period of professional success, Beatrix fell in love with her editor, Norman Warne. At the time, Beatrix was 39 years old and still living with her parents. They opposed the match, but that didn’t stop the couple. Norman proposed and Beatrix accepted. A month later, Norman died suddenly. Beatrix was on vacation and didn’t get to say goodbye.
Soon after Norman’s death, she used the money she earned from her books to purchase a 34-acre farm in England’s Lake District, where her family used to take vacations. Life at Hill Top Farm was peaceful for Beatrix. She painted, renovated her home, and tended to her garden. The eight years after Norman’s death also turned out to be her most productive in her career. She wrote more than a dozen books.
Beatrix bought more property in northern England, just across the way from Hill Top Farm, which she called Castle Farm. In 1913, when she was 47 years old, Beatrix married local solicitor William Heelis. The pair lived together in Castle Cottage. Beatrix continued writing and illustrating books, and published her last book in 1930. As she got older, her interests shifted to land management and conservation.
Beatrix passed away on December 22nd, 1943. In her will, she left more than 4,000 acres of land, including 15 farms to the National Trust.
In the 1950s, one of Beatrix’s family members came across her papers and early journals. She passed them on to a fan, who painstakingly deciphered the code and translated them.
Today, more than 250 million copies of Beatrix’s books have been sold worldwide.
All month long, we’re highlighting dynamos. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!