Beatrix Potter was famed for writing some of the best selling children's books of all time. Not only was the fiercely independent woman an admired writer and illustrator, she was also a well known conservationist. Her love of animals and the English countryside was prominent in her work throughout her life. In Potters early years she had little social interaction with kids her own age as well as with her brother who was sent to boarding school. To occupy her time and amuse herself, Potter began to explore her imagination, began to tell stories and make “friends” with the animals in her drawings. Showing an early interest in art, she studied animals and nature and drew from observation. Summers in the Lake District proved to be an excellent source of study for Potter and her drawings became more elaborate and perfected. Combined with natural artistic skill and very little training in the arts, she adapted the craft of drawing animals and natural history. Robert Potter, Beatrix Potters father, (who had artistic skill himself, but never pursued the career and became a lawyer) showed admiration and support for his daughters talents. Potters mother showed little interest in her daughters works, not taking her seriously until far later in life.
For over a decade beginning in her twenties, Beatrix Potter started to bring her portfolio to publishers in hopes of a book. It wasn’t until she was 36 that she was taken seriously and in 1902 The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published. Potters status as an unmarried “at her age” was damaging to her career and credibility as an artist (as well as just being a women in the Victorian period), despite her undeniable talent. Luckily timing was in her favor, and Frederick Warne & Company needed a “frivolous” task to hand off to their younger brother, Norman Warne. Warnes passion for the job and his adoration for Potters drawings and stories was the perfect driving force behind launching her career as a writer. The books themselves...