In an alternate universe, Beatrix Potter was a pioneering mycologist, not the author-illustrator of some of the world’s most beloved and enduring children’s books. Had it not been for the sexism of Britain’s late-19th-century scientific establishment, the aspiring naturalist would have found a place in science for her research on the mechanics of fungi reproduction. But when Potter, then 31, submitted a paper on the subject in 1897 to a leading (and all-male) scientific society, she wasn’t allowed to present it. The silver lining of this injustice: it led to The Tale of Peter Rabbit, an instant success when it hit bookstores in 1902. Mycology’s loss, childhood’s gain.
Opening today at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is “Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature,” a kind of biographical retrospective. The exhibition includes many paintings and drawings, of course; on hand are renderings of familiar characters such as Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, along with the aforementioned mushrooms and some random bats, beetles, and caterpillars. Also on display are manuscripts, letters, family photographs, personal ephemera, and the diaries Potter wrote in a secret code. All told, there are more than 240 artworks and artifacts, spanning the entirety of her life (1866–1943).
