Creator of unforgettable animal characters like Peter Rabbit, Jeremy Fisher, and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, the beloved children’s book author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866–1943) rooted her fiction in the natural world. Childhood summers spent in Scotland and the Lake District nourished Potter’s love of nature, while her famous menagerie of pets inspired her picture letters and published tales. Studying botany and mycology established her abiding interest in the life sciences, a passion that she would bring to rural life at Hill Top Farm. There she enjoyed a second act as a sheep breeder and land conservationist, ultimately bequeathing 4,000 acres of farmland to the National Trust.
The exhibition brings together artwork, books, manuscripts, and artifacts from several institutions in the United Kingdom, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Trust, and the Armitt Museum and Library. Paired with the Morgan’s exceptional collection of her picture letters, these objects trace how Potter’s innovative blend of scientific observation and imaginative storytelling shaped some of the world’s most popular children’s books.
Tue - Thu, Sat & Sun 10:30am - 5pm
Fri 10:30am - 7pm
The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Avenue
New York, NY
40.749163313683, -73.98137885
Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature
