Born in Bolton Gardens in London, Helen Beatrix Potter was named for her mother and was called Beatrix throughout her life. Potter’s family was a privileged one, and she was provided with governesses for her upbringing and education, and private art lessons. Family holidays spent in Scotland and the English Lake District inspired in her a love of nature, which combined with her artistic talent, resulted in the works for which she is beloved.
Her publishing career began with some greeting cards and a booklet called A Happy Pair, which she illustrated for Frederic Weatherly and published in 1890. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, written and illustrated by Potter was privately printed in December 1901, and was picked up by the publisher Frederick Warne for commercial publication in 1902. The Tale of Peter Rabbit launched Potter’s rising star.
Many stories and little books followed over the years, and Potter accumulated properties in the Lake District in what is now Cumbria (part of northwest England). She married William Heelis in 1913 and eventually began breeding a particular kind of sheep, Herdwicks, for which she won many prizes and judged some competitions.
The Charming Little Bunny 