Beatrix Potter

A preparatory sketch for the 1905 first edition of The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter, accompanied by a first printing of the book.

• Sold as a set of 2.
• Beatrix Potter (English).
• London: Warne, 1905.
• Sketch is pencil on paper, and has been mounted, framed and glazed.
• The illustration itself appears on page 22 in the 1905 edition.

Potter’s enchanting tale of the little hedgehog washer woman, an exceptionally scarce item, coupled with the first edition book; with an association to writer and Beatrix Potter expert Leslie Linder.

Christies, British and Continental Watercolours, lot 330

Given by Leslie Linder to the former owner in 1965.

Linder (1904–73) was an English engineer, collector, and scholar best known for deciphering ‘Beatrix Potter’s secret code’, written in an elaborate substitution cipher. His breakthrough revealed Potter’s private journals, offering new insight into her life, creative process, and inspirations. Linder became the leading authority on her work, publishing The Journal of Beatrix Potter, and donating an extensive collection of Potter manuscripts, drawings, and artefacts to the Victoria and Albert Museum, helping preserve her legacy for future generations.