Beatrix Potter: The Secret Life Of A Victorian Genius | Beatrix Potter | Absolute History

When I saw the drawings of the new illustrations, I said, "no, no, no, no, no!" They are wonderful and creative drawings by a clearly talented man, but they are not right for a Beatrix Potter book. They really need to find an illustrator who can make this last book look like Beatrix did the illustrations. It is just not right to change the style now.

Fun fact: Beatrix Potter kept diaries, between the ages of 15 and 30, in a secret code so impenetrable that it was not deciphered until the 1960s. Though the code itself was not too difficult, her handwriting was minuscule, and she wrote her code so fluently that it took superfan Leslie Linder 16 years to decipher all her writings.

Her drawings at 9 are absolutely incredible! I can hardly fathom how good they are, even for an adult with artistic training!

"Is that our Hyacinth?" Patricia Routledge and Beatrix Potter..fantastic!

Very little mention is made of the fact that not only did Beatrix Potter write those famous children's books, she was also a champion sheep breeder, owning 14 hill farms and 4000 acres of the Lake District. Such was her experience and knowledge of the Herdwick sheep breed, she was often asked to judge agricultural shows in the area..... Once settled in the Lakes, she became friendly with Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, who founded the National Trust. Upon her death in 1944, Beatrix Potter left her home, land and her farms to the National Trust. The Peter Rabbit books continue to sell in their millions, and are still published by the original publishing company, Warne....... Someone once turned up on the Antiques Roadshow with an original letter signed by Beatrix Heelis (her married name). Had it been signed Beatrix Potter, it would have been worth considerably more......

Oh what a treasure of a documentary! Patricia Routledge is amazing and really brought the story of Beatrix Potter to life. Its hard to believe she is 93!

What a pleasure to hear THAT VOICE tell this story.

Beatrix Potter I found out this week, she is in my family tree! I'm so honored to have such a wonderful , fascinating woman to be in my family! I'm so glad I found this beautiful documentary of her life . Just listening to this I marvel at how much she is like me! I'm also an artist , unstoppable person who pursues my goals . Beatrix 's love for animals and nature is dear to me so much. Like her I've recently purchased land that I had always hoped of owning one day. Yes steely determination ! So much we share! Wow!

The new Kitty in Boots looks like Pete the Cat. Don't think I can wrap my head around a manic looking cat while reading Beatrix's language. Plus the charm of her illustrations is that she was a naturalist & the illustrations ring true along with all their misadventures. This is another good example of how intelligent, scientific women were made to sublimate their talent into "acceptable" female pursuits. I think I would have loved her mushroom books as much as her stories and maybe had learned something, too.

Patricia Routledge will be 94 in February! God bless her!

when i was a baby my mom's friend gifted me a book of beatrix potter "The tale of MR. Jeremy fisher", it was the first book i've ever read and i keep it in a very special place of my heart

Beatrix Potter's stories give me warm feelings of comfort. Memories of my grandparent's cozy home, with a fire going and a warm cup of milk.

Two of my absolute favourites, Beatrix Potter and Patricia Routledge. Patricia's diction is amazing.😁💖💖💖👏🙏

OMG, Hyacinth Bucket on Peter Rabbit! I LURVE it!

I love the Beatrix Potter stories to this day. I live in Brazil, and I had the opportunity to watch the stories of Peter the Rabbit on television, to this day I still get emotional remembering the opening and ending of the animations. A few years ago I found a book with all these stories, it was a huge emotion to find the book and it was also an exercise to improve my English. This universe she created is magical and enchanting.

I grew up reading her books, little treasures with thick, glossy pages and embossed covers that our mum would buy for our birthdays or Christmas. I have plaster models of Tom Kitten and Mrs Tiggywinkle that I made when I was about 10, and painted. Reading her life story as an adult and a gardener gave me so much respect for her as a country woman, environmentalist and farm owner. I am glad her work is still loved, so many years after her death.

How can someone attempt the perfection of this marvelous lady's illustrations... 🙏 Please, I respectfully ask the publisher's to respect her work and illustrations. I, for one, would love to see if nothing but the story on the page. She left us with some of the most important and memorable works of her art. Her illustrations are burned into my memories. I can read a story and see those characters of hers come to life again and again. So why not... those of us who love her work, use our collective imagination, and picture the new story as she would have drawn them. Sometimes, that can be the best gift an artist can give to her devoted fans. Asking us to live her world, as she saw it. To use our minds and hearts and remember her talents, she gifted them to us all... Thank you, Ms. Beatrice, for giving me a wonderful childhood and helping me to discover the world of my own imagination. May you R.I.P. 🙏 😇

This was excellent 🐇🦔🐀 One thing I love about Beatrice Potter’s books are her character illustrations: neat, precise and rather cute. They enhance the story. And what talent in her botanical illustrations of various fungi. Talking of talent, Quentin Blake, though talented, his illustrations (in my personal opinion) are rather messy, and opposite to the precision of Miss Potter’s. I wonder why out of all illustrators Quentin was chosen to illustrate Beatrice’s unpublished story, ‘Kitty in Boots’ when their styles are so vastly different. I’m not sure I’d be drawn to purchasing this book compared to something of a neater, cuter and more precise style, fitting with Beatrice’s work. Oh well. I suppose we may never find out, and it’s okay because we can continue to enjoy the 23 books Beatrice did illustrate 🐑🐿🐖🐕Thank you Absolute History for this documentary (thumbs up) 👍

I grew up with Beatrix Potter books and Patricia in Keeping up Appearances! This doc is like a warm hug.

I have loved her books since I was a little girl. I'm 66 years old now and I still love her works. She was awesome!