About the Artwork

THE TALE OF MRS. TITTLEMOUSE published 1910

Beatrix Potter’s interest in all kinds of creatures, from spiders to bees, is clearly evident in ‘The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse’. There are no people in the story, but all sorts of creepy-crawly characters invade Mrs. Tittlemouse’s tidy home.  Originally, Beatrix had woodlice, an earwig and a centipede among the uninvited guests, but her publishers felt the first two insects were unsuitable for a children’s book!  Beatrix herself decided against the centipede, replacing it with a most beautiful picture of Miss Butterfly tasting the sugar.  She evidently bore no grudge against her editor for the alterations he requested, for the book is dedicated to Harold Warne’s daughter Nellie, who also received the manuscript as a New Year’s present.