The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
Beatrix Potter (London 1866 - Near Sawrey, Cumbria 1943)
Category
Manuscripts and documents
Date
1902
Materials
Ink on paper
Measurements
21 x 14 x .5 cm
Place of origin
Portinscale
Order this imageCollection
Beatrix Potter Gallery, Cumbria
NT 242203
Caption
Beatrix Potter (1866–1943) wrote The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin in 1901, while holidaying on the shore of Derwentwater in the Lake District. As with several other of her books, it was originally written in the form of a letter to entertain a child, in this case her friend’s daughter Norah Moore, but she soon developed a manuscript copy that closely follows the original letter. The finished book, published in 1903, included 26 illustrations of the jaunty squirrel and began with these playful words: ‘This is a Tale about a tail – a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin.’ The story recounts the adventures of the badly behaved Nutkin, who ends up losing his tail as a result of his foolhardy behaviour and impertinence to an owl called Old Brown. As with all of Potter’s books, the story is not just full of delightfully imaginative details about the lives and abilities of animals, but demonstrates her deep understanding of the Lakeland landscape and natural world.
Summary
Manuscript of The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, a blue 'Home Lesson' exercise book. The text is copied, with some amendments, from Beatrix Potter's copy of the story letter to Norah Moore of 25 September 1901 (HIL.R.53).The original story letter is in the Linder Bequest at the V&A (see published catalogue of the V&A Beatrix Potter Collection, ref. 1468). Each spread consists of a section of text written in ink together with one of 26 pencil and ink illustrations drawn on separate sheets which are glued to the pages facing the relevant text. Amended text has occasionally been written on small slips of paper which have been glued onto the pages of the exercise book. The general division of text between pages corresponds to that of the published version. The original opening of the story on the first two spreads, copied from the story letter, has been crossed out; and the amended text of the third spread becomes the new opening of the story, 'Once upon a time there was a little red squirrel and his name was Nutkin.' Potter has then annotated this page in pencil, '? This is the Tale of a tail - a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel etc', which becomes the published version. See also HIL.R.53, a copy made by Potter of her original Squirrel Nutkin story letter; HIL.R.45, manuscript of Squirrel Nutkin play; HIL.R.103, manuscript note of 'The man in the wilderness' rhyme.
Full description
This jaunty red squirrel - who loses his tail because of his impertinent dancing riddles - first came to life in 1901 in an illustrated letter sent to Norah, daughter of Beatrix Potter’s friend and former governess, Annie Moore. Norah’s brother, Noel, had been the lucky recipient of an earlier letter introducing Peter Rabbit. In 1902, Potter worked the letter up into this manuscript for the book, which closely follows the original. The text is accompanied by 26 pen and ink illustrations, showing real locations on and around Derwentwater and demonstrating her deep understanding of both the natural world and the Lake District landscape, which she worked so hard to preserve. (Nicola Thwaite 2021)
Makers and roles
Beatrix Potter (London 1866 - Near Sawrey, Cumbria 1943), author Beatrix Potter (London 1866 - Near Sawrey, Cumbria 1943), illustrator