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    Following on from yesterday's books post, and as a postscript to this one from 2013, Linda Lear's biography of Beatrix Potter gives another telling detail to the background to The Tailor of Gloucester, the book which was always its author's favourite.

    When Beatrix was working on the book "she frequently visited the South Kensington Museum [now the V&A] refining the illustrations. She made the happy discovery that she could ask the curator to display some of the eighteenth-century costumes in the collection in any empty office where the light was better. 'I have been looking at them for a long time in an inconvenient dark corner of the goldsmith's court, but had no idea they could be taken out of the case.' Her status as the author of Peter Rabbit* was such that an assistant was subtly assigned to see that Miss Potter had whatever she needed from the collection [my italics]. The first things she asked for were the beautifully embroidered dresses, coats and waistcoats that were later to become the hallmark of The Tailor of Gloucester."

*The Tailor was published in 1903, a year after Peter Rabbit became - even in its first few months in print - a runaway bestseller. Miss Potter's reputation was made.

Comments

[Callmemadam]

This biography sounds great. I've read the Margaret Lane one, years ago and have seen Miss Potter, which I didn't think very good.

I love The Tailor Of Gloucester. That and Samuel Whiskers are her best, I think. They are great to read aloud; I used to love doing it, many years ago now.

[Cornflower]

I read the Margaret Lane book years ago, too, and enjoyed it, but this one goes into much more detail. Thus far I'd certainly recommend it.
I think we must all have many of her books off by heart we have read them so often!

[Val]

How interesting I must look out for that book. Thank you!
I Love the Tailor of Gloucester. I also have a fondness for the animation
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0750580/
Not the best artwork in the World but very good and together with the live action intro and the choice of music ..a Very pleasing whole.

[Fran]

Many years ago I took the girls I was nanny to up to the V and A to see the actual garment delicately painted by B Potter. They were very familiar with the story and were thrilled to see that the garment really did exist.

[Cornflower]

Yes, we love that film!

[Cornflower]

How lovely to see it! I was surprised that it wasn't on display with the drawings, but they were very much a 'side-show', hanging in a corridor, so perhaps that explains it.