Artwork

Mrs Rabbit pouring out the tea for Peter while her children look on: variant illustration for The tale of Peter Rabbit

Beatrix Potter , 1904

Mrs Rabbit pouring out the tea for Peter while her children look on: variant illustration for The tale of Peter Rabbit is a watercolor work on paper by the Post-Impressionist artist Beatrix Potter. It dates from 1904 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

A mother rabbit in a blue dress and white apron pours tea from a black kettle into a delicate cup, while three young rabbits watch from behind.

Beatrix Potter’s early illustration presents a domestic scene inside a rabbit burrow. A mother rabbit in a blue dress and white apron pours tea from a black kettle into a delicate cup, while three young rabbits watch from behind. A fourth rabbit peeks from a separate nook, its head lifted above a blanket. The composition is bounded by a light pencil frame, giving the image a tidy, manuscript quality.

Subject & Meaning

The picture captures a moment of familial routine, emphasizing care and hospitality within the animal world. By portraying the mother rabbit serving tea to her offspring, Potter mirrors human customs of tea‑time, suggesting warmth, nurture, and the comfort of home life. The inclusion of the hidden rabbit adds a playful sense of curiosity, inviting viewers to imagine the broader burrow environment.

Technique & Style

Executed in watercolor with pen‑and‑ink accents over a pencil sketch, the work features swift, fluid brushstrokes that convey a lively atmosphere. Simple line work defines the rabbits’ fur and the kettle’s details, while the watercolor wash supplies soft colour and a gentle glow. The modest palette—blues, whites, and muted earth tones—reinforces the intimate, homely mood of the scene.

History & Provenance

Created around 1902, the illustration was part of Potter’s preparatory material for her later published tale of Peter Rabbit. It entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection in 1973 through the Linder Bequest, joining other early works by the artist and providing insight into her developmental process before the story’s final publication.

Artist & collection

Artist

Beatrix Potter

Helen Beatrix Heelis (née Potter; 28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( BEE-ə-triks), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist.