Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter was born in London in 1866, and like many children of the time, she was tutored at home by a governess. She kept all kinds of animals for company and taught herself a great deal about painting by observing the pets carefully and drawing them as realistically as she could.
In 1893 she wrote and illustrated a letter to a young friend, Noel Moore. The story was about a rabbit called Peter. More of these picture letters followed and the children who received them were so thrilled by these charming stories that eventually Beatrix decided to have them published.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit was accepted for publication in 1902 and immediately sold thousands of copies. With the money from the sales, Beatrix Potter bought a farm, Hill Top, in England’s Lake District in Yorkshire. Both Hill Top and the beautiful Lakeland landscapes feature in many of the little books about Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, Jemima Puddleduck, Benjamin Bunny, and all the other of her lovely characters.
At the age of 47 Beatrix married a local solicitor, William Heelis. She spent the latter half of her life dedicated to farming and conservation in the Lake District. 
