About the Artwork

THE TALE OF JOHNNY TOWN-MOUSE published 1918

The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse is set in Lake District surroundings: Johnny lives in the town of Hawkeshead, as one can tell from the archway in one of the pictures, while Timmy Willie has his home in a Sawrey garden. Old Diamond, Beatrix Potter’s farm horse, pulls the carrier’s cart (her favourite of all the pictures), and the cook is a local woman, Mrs. Rogerson. Johnny Town-Mouse himself is based on a Doctor Parsons, who would bring his bag of clubs (drawn in the cover picture of the book) to play golf with Beatrix’s husband, Willie Heelis.The theme of the tale is taken from a fable by Aesop, and Beatrix dedicated the story to “Aesop in the shadows”. Her sight was failing, and she despaired of the drawings. “I cannot see to put colour in them.” However, the country pictures are as delightful as ever.