Potter, Beatrix

50 by 90mm., ink and watercolour drawing, unsigned, mounted, framed and glazed

Sold in these rooms, 4 May 1995, lot 508

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

One of Beatrix Potter’s early Christmas card designs, dating from 1894 and therefore drawn seven years before the first privately printed edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

In 1894 Beatrix Potter drew a matching pair of illustrations showing two rabbits with a sledge. In the first drawing a rabbit in a blue jacket pulls a sledge containing another rabbit apparently wrapped in a red blanket. The rabbits are passing by a signpost. In the second drawing the sledge has overturned and both rabbits have plunged into the snow. The red blanket is beside the sledge and both rabbits are revealed to be wearing blue jackets. The signpost is now on the horizon.

The first drawing is known in two versions: one present in the Free Library of Philadelphia (RBD BP ART 10a) and one previously sent as a Christmas card design for Elinor and Bessie Lupton (sold Kidson-Trigg Auctioneers, 20-21 September 2006, lot 582; sold Sotheby’s, 14 July 2011, lot 143). The second drawing is also known in two versions: one present in the Free Library of Philadelphia (see above) and the present drawing. There is also an unfinished preparatory drawing of this illustration in the Linder bequest of Beatrix Potter material in the V&A (Hobbs and Whalley 1009).

Known as “Bunnies in the Snow”, the Free Library of Philadelphia has reproduced their two drawings many times including a 1966 souvenir booklet, a 1996 guide to the library’s Beatrix Potter collections and a greetings card.

When Anne Carroll Moore, the American pioneer of children’s libraries, visited Beatrix Potter in 1921 she was allowed to browse through the artist’s portfolios. Seeing that her visitor was enjoying herself, Potter allowed Moore the choice of any one watercolour. Moore later recalled that, of all the watercolours laid before her she chose “a small water-colour of rabbits playing in the snow with their sleds” (see Linder, The Art of Beatrix Potter, 1972, p.xvii)