BlogEvolve.com

Bringing up the Google site this morning I noticed different colors and a couple of pictures in the Google logo. This, of course, signifies that some important event occurred on this date. Looking at the logo it wasn't hard to guess what was being commemorated this day. The cute little rabbit in a blue jacket with a carrot in each hand by the second "g" in Google and the angry farmer with rake held high while running past the "o" could only be Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor which must mean that today is the birthday of Beatrix Potter, author of the Peter Rabbit story. Sure enough, as soon as I moved my mouse over the image and clicked up came search results on Beatrix Potter who was born on July 28, 1866.

With the possible exception of the Easter Rabbit and Bugs Bunny, Peter Rabbit is probably the most famous rabbit in the world or, at least, the English speaking world.

Like many classic books, the tale of Peter Rabbit began as something other than a commercial or public venture. In this case it was a story in the form of a letter sent to cheer up the sick child of a friend. Beatrix Potter, didn't have any children of her own as it wasn't until she was 39 and had freed herself from the financial shackles of her parents that she found love and a happy marriage. However, she did seem to relate well to children and enjoyed sending what she called picture letters to children of her friends. These were stories, written as letters, with sketches interspersed among the text.

Even though Beatrix was the daughter of well to do parents, her parents were very controlling and she was forced to live with them and remain obedient to their wishes or risk being cut off financially. As this was the late 19th century, there were few options open to women besides marriage and, since her parents managed to fend off her suitors, even marriage was not an option for escaping their control. Despite her financial dependence on her parents, Beatrix did have talent. She had a reputation as a serious naturalist, was a good landscape and sketch artist as well as having an imagination that allowed her to come up with stories to entertain children. At age 24 at the urging of her brother, she submitted some of her drawings to a publisher of greeting cards. The card company immediately sent her a check and a request for more drawings. While greeting card drawings provided her with pocket money, it wasn't until a decade later, and after she had begun producing her picture letters for children of friends, that she decided to try her hand at publishing. Since the card company had not only used her drawings for cards but had also used them as illustrations in books, she decided to write and illustrate a book herself. She choose her story of Peter Rabbit for her first foray into being a published author. But, much to her disappointment, her book was turned down by every publisher she contacted. Believing that there was a market for the story of Peter Rabbit, she paid to have 250 copies printed in 1901 and gave most of them away to friends and acquaintances. Just as many of today's dot com companies start building a market by giving their service or product away for free, her putting her book into circulation had the effect of arousing interest in it to the extent that the London publishing house of Frederick Warne and Company agreed to publish it. Their first printing consisted of 8,000 copies, most of which were purchased in advance of the release date.

The adventures of the mischievous Peter struck a chord with children and adults alike and the sales of that book and books of other stories of Beatrix Potter provided her with the income needed to cut the financial bonds with her parents and make a life of her own. With her growing fortune, she was able to begin acquiring land in the Lakes District of northern England. Her land acquisition resulted in her having to spend considerable time with her lawyer (known as a solicitor in England) while negotiating and closing the deals. As a result, the business relationship blossomed into a romantic one and they married when she was 39.

Like Walt Disney, who also launched a successful career with the story of another rodent, in his case a lovable mouse named Mickey, Beatrix Potter achieved her dreams and had a successful career which started with the story of a rabbit named Peter.

Here are links to more information about Beatrix Potter and her life:

http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/is/enroom/illustrators/potter.htm

http://www.peterrabbit.com/potters-world-picture-letters.asp

Bookmark/Search this post with:
| | | | | | | | | | |