Celebrating Beatrix Potter and the Drawn to Nature exhibition

A watercolour of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature is an exhibition about Beatrix Potter and her love of nature. It's running throughout 2022 from the 12 February at the V&A Museum in London. The exhibition, created in collaboration between the V&A and the National Trust, explores the life story of the beloved children's author-illustrator.

Exhibition-goers will be able to trace Beatrix's journey from her early life in Kensington, to her travels in Scotland and on to the Lake District, which served as an escape from her parents' house in London.

Famous for her enduring tales and animal characters, Beatrix Potter was also an ardent conservationist, scientist and Lake District hill farmer who left much of her property and land to the National Trust for everyone to enjoy.

We're inviting you to learn more about what her donation still means for conservationists, curators and visitors today. Below, explore more of what she left behind for us to appreciate, including her artworks, sketches, early writing drafts and Hill Top in the Lake District, which was both a working farm and precious sanctuary for her.

Explore Beatrix's connections with the National Trust, the objects cared for by expert curators and conservators and delve a little further into the work that went into opening the exhibition. You can also find out about how making a donation can help us continue to care for the countryside that Beatrix loved.

Looking for Drawn to Nature exhibition tickets? Visit the V&A's website

Objects from Beatrix that we care for

Watercolour illustration for The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck at the Beatrix Potter Gallery

An Edward VII Coronation teapot at Hill Top. Lettering records Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, Accession Jan 1901, Coronation June 1902. This side shows the royal coat of arms with floral decoration and the lid is in the shape of a large pink crown.

Oil painting on canvas, Colley and Pups by G. W. Horton (fl.1865) at Hill Top. The colley lies inside a doorway, the three pups fighting over a shoe, landscape with sheep beyond.

Watercolour illustration for The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck was published in 1908. This watercolour, alongside many others, is cared for by experts at the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Cumbria.

©National Trust/Colin Liddie

Dolls' house at Hill Top, Cumbria

This fully furnished dolls' house contains items which appear in The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter.

©National Trust Images/Pete Tasker

Teapot to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII (1841–1910) and Queen Alexandra (1844-1925)

This teapot is shown in several images in The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan, published in 1905.

© National Trust/Robert Thrift

Colley and Pups by G. W. Horton (fl.1865)

Beatrix gave this oil painting to the National Trust in 1944. She kept sheepdogs throughout her working life as a farmer.

©National Trust/Robert Thrift

Front door key for Hill Top

Hill Top in Cumbria was a place of solace for Beatrix. Along with 4,000 acres of land and 15 farms, she donated the cottage to the National Trust.

©National Trust/Robert Thrift

Watercolour titled 'Springtime' by Beatrix Potter

View the Beatrix Potter collection

From charming watercolours to sketches of her surroundings, we conserve thousands of objects that once belonged to Beatrix Potter. Delve further into the collection that's being cared for at the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Cumbria.

The front of the mainly 17th-century Hill Top, Sawrey, Cumbria, where Beatrix Potter wrote many of the Peter Rabbit stories

Explore Beatrix Potter's Lake District

Many places in the Lake District inspired Beatrix's iconic characters and stories. The sweeping landscapes, calm lakes and charming cottages are reflected in her writing and artworks. Find out where you can retrace Beatrix's steps in the Lakes.

Behind the scenes of the exhibition

Helen Antrobus, the National Trust’s Assistant National Curator for Cultural Landscapes, is the co-curator of the Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature exhibition, alongside V&A curator Annemarie Bilclough.

Helen describes Beatrix as 'one of the greatest supporters the Trust has ever had, fervently believing that the landscapes from which she had drawn so much joy should be protected so that others could experience them.'

She also says that 'the healing powers of fresh air and green space were clear to Beatrix from a very young age. She was often ill as a child and found that her health vastly improved and her imagination came to life during the time she spent in the countryside.'

Beatrix’s gift of land and working farms to the National Trust ensures the Trust can continue her incredible legacy, looking after over 20 per cent of the Lake District – now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Helen Antrobus stood outside of Hill Top, Cumbria

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Video

Explore the life of Beatrix Potter

Discover more about how the exhibition is shedding new light on the artist, scientist, writer and farmer that was Beatrix Potter. In this video, join Helen Antrobus, Assistant National Curator at Hill Top in Cumbria, as she takes you through some of the themes explored in the exhibition. Plus, learn more about Beatrix's connection to the National Trust and glimpse some of her watercolours and objects in our care.

Continue Beatrix's support for the Trust

Scafell and pinnacles from Hollow Stones in Wasdale, Cumbria

Looking after the Lake District

A place loved by millions of people for its timeless beauty, the Lake District landscape is ever-changing and needs constant care to protect it now and for the future, even more so after the damage that recent storms have caused. Your donation will help us continue to do this.

Beatrix and her Bunnies book on a child's bed

Browse Beatrix Potter books

Browse our online shop for Beatrix Potter publications and guidebooks. Your purchase will help us continue to look after the landscape Beatrix cared so much for.

Discover more of Beatrix's world

Two Bad Mice book at Hill Top, near Sawrey, Cumbria

Beatrix Potter’s early life and books

A children's author and illustrator, Beatrix created characters that have stood the test of time. She was a passionate and knowledgeable farmer and conservationist, even before the notion of conservation became popularised. You can learn more about her early life and the first of the tales she released as an author.

Watercolour, pen and ink / Beatrix Potter

Between naturalism and fantasy: the art of Beatrix Potter

We care for the single largest collection of Beatrix Potter's published illustrations, as well as a treasure trove of unpublished drawings and manuscripts. Read on to learn more about how Beatrix was inspired by the natural world in her stories.

Yew Tree Farm and it's flock of Herdwick sheep, near Coniston, in Cumbria

Beatrix Potter, the Lake District and the National Trust

The Lake District inspired Beatrix to create some of her most famous tales, and she was also a prominent member of the farming community there. Discover more about how she helped protect this landscape for generations.