A Victorian Naturalist: Beatrix Potter's Drawings from the Armitt Collection

by Eileen Jay, Mary Noble, Anne Stevenson Hobbs

One of the most unusual collections of Beatrix Potter's art is held by a small trust in the English Lake District. Beatrix Potter became a member of the Armitt Library in Ambleside, Cumbria, shortly after her marriage in 1913. At this time she was already famous as the creator of Peter Rabbit, but the paintings she donated to the Armitt Library date from the period before she had begun to produce children's books and are on a very different subject. These studies of fossils, archaeological finds, mosses and lichens, microscope drawings and, most importantly, the exceptionally fine fungus paintings comprise a remarkable body of scientific illustration. This book is introduced by Eileen Jay, Honorary President of the Armitt Trust, who describes how the Armitt Library was formed through the influence of a group of gifted and intellectual people and specifically through the achievements of the three talented Armitt sisters. Beatrix Potter strongly approved of the Armitt sisters' aims and ideals, particularly their views on the study of natural history and countryside conservation. The pictures she donated to the Library reflect their shared interests. Few details had been known about Beatrix Potter's scientific work until the discovery by Dr. Mary Noble of a series of letters between Beatrix and Charles McIntosh, the celebrated Scottish naturalist. In this book Mary Noble has used the correspondence between the two to explain and annotate the paintings. The letters also reveal how Beatrix battled to have her work recognized by the authorities of the day. The humour and spirit with which the young Beatrix Potter 'took on' the male-dominated scientific establishment makes this a delightful story, told here in its entirety for the first time. The book ends with an appraisal of the paintings themselves by Anne Hobbs, curator of the Beatrix Potter collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. She demonstrates how, as in all Beatrix Potter's work, imagination inspired he

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1992

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

In addition to her careers as a farmer and author/illustrator, Beatrix Potter was an accomplished natural historian, creating many intricately detailed illustrations of fungi of the Lake District. Being female was enough to keep her from joining the Royal Society, but that didn't stop her from taking up rigorous personal study.

A Victorian Naturalist collects scholarly essays on Potter's work, mostly mycology, but also her amazingly detailed illustrations of archaeological findings, and comparisons of her children's book illustrations to her "nonfiction" work. This volume is rich with images, since it's built on the collection that survives in the Armitt Museum and Library in Ambleside (the hometown of Charlotte Mason). The introductory chapter tells of the founding of the Armitt Collection, named for the Armitt sisters, and gives their biographical sketches, with a bit of information about Mason as well. Some of Sophia Armitt's lovely paintings are included, too, and I found them remarkably similar to the style of Renée Graef, whose illustrations have graced pages of American Girl and Little House books.

A Victorian Naturalist illumined a new dimension of Potter's life for me, and I'm glad to have this volume in my humble collection (thanks, dear aunt-in-law!). This book will be of interest to hardcore Beatrix Potter fans, budding mycologists, anyone interested in Victorian natural history, and those looking for some Charlotte Mason-esque nature study inspiration. Pre-readers might appreciate the illustrations when asked to do nature studies of their own, especially if they're familiar with Potter through other books.

tl;dr so many mushrooms

[Tess · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork was very beautiful. It was an interesting look at Beatrix not as an author but as a scientist and artist. At times it was very dry and dull, though. Also, I think it would have helped if I knew anything about fungi before reading this book. Overall, it was a neat change from the fantasy and manga I normally read.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

very inspiring in terms of what a woman was able to accomplish and be recognized for in Victorian England, as well as in terms of her skills and realizing that drawing is talent but also practice. I want to draw more and studying her botanical watercolors makes me realize that I can improve on my skills.

And really, who doesn't like Beatrix Potter?

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. Beatrix Potter is such a talented individual. Her life was far more than bunny books and silly stories about ducks. She was a serious student of nature, though none of her work could be taken seriously simply on the grounds that she was a woman. Looking at her mycology studies, she certainly gives us valuable specimen portraits, not to mention all of her animal studies.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic pictures. Great artist