{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1136212"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1136212/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2019LY1257/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2019LY1257/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2019LY1257","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2019LY1258","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. ","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1136212","accessionNumber":"BP.1134I","objectType":"Watercolour","titles":[{"title":"Sketch of the garden at Gwaynynog, Denbigh for <i>The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies</i>","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is one of the world's best-loved children's authors and illustrators.   She wrote the majority of the twenty-three Original Peter Rabbit Books between 1901 and 1913.  The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale.  \r\n\r\nBefore her marriage in 1913, Potter would accompany her family to Scotland, Wales or the Lake District for holidays.  From 1903 one of Potter's favourite haunts was Gwaynynog in Denbigh, the old rambling home of her uncle and aunt, Fred and Harriet Burton.  The house features in her unfinished story of two bats, Flittermouse and Fluttermouse, who live 'amongst the dusty rafters'.  The garden at Gwaynynog inspired another unpublished story, 'Llewellyn's Well', written about 1911, and also the setting of one of Potter's best-loved published tales, <i>The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies</i>. On her first visit to Gwaynynog in 1903 Potter described the garden in her journal as 'the prettiest kind of garden, where bright old fashioned flowers grow amongst the currant bushes'.  She visited Gwaynynog again in March 1909 while working on the illustrations to her tale of the Flopsy Bunnies.  Adept at sketching outdoors, she produced skilful work quickly and soon amassed enough background sketches 'to finish up the F. Bunnies without further delay.'\r\n\r\nGardens intrigued Potter and inspired the settings of several books, including the tales of Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and Tom Kitten.  Adopting an animal's perspective, she delighted in sketching objects that an inquisitive rabbit might find appealing:  potting sheds, cold frames, water butts, trellises, winding paths, box hedges and vegetable patches.  In an ingenious blending of reality and fantasy, Potter incorporated her background sketches into her book illustrations with little modification, positioning her animal characters with subtle humour and a keen sense of beauty.","physicalDescription":"Watercolour and pencil drawing on paper of the corner of a garden; a path bordered by low box hedges leads to the corner of the garden surrounded by a high brick wall with trees beyond.  Borders of flowers are planted alongside the path, comprising purple and yellow flowers. On the verso are studies of pink phlox and blossom.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Potter, Beatrix","id":"A18000"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"watercolour (paint)","id":"AAT15045"},{"text":"pencil","id":"x30347"},{"text":"paper (fiber product)","id":"AAT14109"}],"techniques":[{"text":"watercolour painting (technique)","id":"THES250889"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Watercolour and pencil on paper","categories":[{"text":"Gardens & Gardening","id":"THES49002"},{"text":"Landscapes","id":"THES250800"},{"text":"Watercolours","id":"THES277714"},{"text":"Woman Artist","id":"THES387590"},{"text":"Tourism & Travel","id":"THES250702"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2019LY1257","2019LY1258"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"014","id":"THES317976"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"watercolour (painting)","id":"AAT78925"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Gwaynynog","id":"x44511"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"03/1909","earliest":"1909-03-01","latest":"1909-03-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"probably"}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Linder Bequest [plus object number; written on labels on the same line as the object number]","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"252","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"176","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Studies for backgrounds / H B Potter'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Pencil inscription on recto"},{"content":"'8'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"pencil note on top left and bottom left or recto"},{"content":"Small gash","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Top left hand corner"}],"objectHistory":"Drawn by Beatrix Potter at Gwaynynog, Denbigh, probably in March 1909. Acquired by the V&A from Leslie Linder (1904-1973) as part of the Linder Bequest in 1973.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Drawing; corner of a walled garden at Gwaynynog, Denbigh, by Beatrix Potter, probably in March 1909; background study for The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies; Linder Bequest cat. no. LB.934.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"'Hobbs and Whalley, Beatrix Potter : the V&A Collection, London, 1985'","id":"AUTH315806"},"details":"Brief catalogue entry, no. 934.","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Unique","id":"THES48864"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"Gwaynynog","id":"x44511"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"paths","id":"AAT8321"},{"text":"gardens","id":"AAT8135"},{"text":"flowers (plants)","id":"AAT132399"},{"text":"walls","id":"AAT2469"},{"text":"brick walls","id":"x41249"},{"text":"hedges","id":"AAT8888"},{"text":"trees","id":"AAT132410"},{"text":"vegetable gardens","id":"AAT8142"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["Potter used sketches of the garden at Gwaynynog, Denbigh, as backgrounds to her illustrations to <i>The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies</i>, published by Frederick Warne in 1909."],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["BP.1134(I)"],"accessionNumberNum":"1134","accessionNumberPrefix":"BP","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Linder Bequest catalogue no.","id":"THES57120"},"number":"LB.934"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2009-08-13","availableToBook":true}}