She never attended school, instead she had tutors and nannies who mostly let her and her brother do what they pleased. The children captured animals – mice, beavers, squirrels, rabbits – and let them roam free in the Nursery. She then spent hours drawing, sketching, even learned to watercolor those animals into all sizes while adding little outfits for them to wear. She behaved by putting her own ideas on paper. Her imagination ran wild. She was a challenge for her Mother as she did not know what to do with her. So her Mother left her alone…a lot. And instead of feeling neglected or afraid, Beatrix Potter reveled in that solitude and invented her own little world. When she went to publish her “little books” as her Mother called them, she truly wanted them to be child centric. She insisted that they be published as a series of small, child-size books, so little hands could hold them and enjoy the stories. Only one publisher took the risk. That was in 1902, when Frederick Warne agreed to publish them, only if Beatrix would turn her black and white sketches into watercolors. She remains one of the world’s best-selling and best-loved children’s authors selling more than 250 million copies worldwide.
Beatrix bought a farm outside of London with the proceeds from her first books, buying up land around that farm for years and years. Upon her death, she left everything to her husband William Heelis, who was the lawyer who helped her buy her first farm. On his death, per her request, the fifteen farms, numerous cottages, and over 4,000 acres of land Beatrix acquired over her lifetime were left to the national trust to preserve the farming land and lifestyle she so deeply loved. Not bad for a little girl who would rather draw rabbits wearing coats than study her lessons.
Beatrix Potter was an entrepreneur before most people know what that word meant. She sold her work to raise funds for her farms. Partnered with artist and artisans in her community to grow their farms, and she thought long term. She pioneered character merchandising as Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a stuffed toy. She wanted to leave a legacy and preserve the beauty that had brought so much life and joy to her world, so she worked hard across all avenues to make that happen. Her financial success created a legacy no one at the time could imagine, let alone believe a woman could accomplish.
Beatrix Potter reminds us that some people will call us willful, unruly, and may even just leave us alone. Being true to the ideas and things we value – the ideas bouncing around our heads – can pay off if we dare to believe in the grand scheme of things. Her faith, her creativity and her passion for preserving country life changed our world forever.
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