Today is the birthday of Peter Rabbit author Helen Beatrix Potter; she was born on 28 July 1866 and died on 22 December 1943. Potter was not only an author, she was also an illustrator, mycologist, and conservationist, but she will always been known as the writer of the Peter Rabbit books.
Beatrix Potter was born in a privileged household, she was educated by governesses but her childhood was a sad one, as she was isolated from other children.
While growing up in Scotland and the Lake District, Potter had a love for the area and painted what she saw. Her parents discouraged intellectual development however; Beatrix Potter loved to study and paintings of fungi, this led her to the field of mycology.
It was in Potter’s thirties that she wrote the book The Tale of Peter Rabbit, this was the first of 23 children’s books. The books made it possible for Beatrix Potter to buy a farm in the Lake District, this lead to more purchases during her life.
Beatrix Potter dies in 1943; most of her property was left to The National Trust in order to preserve the beauty of the Lake District.
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