Rare Beatrix Potter Illustrations Are Just Too Adorbs For This World

We die. We literally die.
A "Mice in a Coconut" [Hildesheimer and Faulkner, c.1891] card, featuring some of Beatrix Potter's earliest printed work, sold for £1,125 ($1,500) at Sotheby's this week.
A "Mice in a Coconut" [Hildesheimer and Faulkner, c.1891] card, featuring some of Beatrix Potter's earliest printed work, sold for £1,125 ($1,500) at Sotheby's this week.
Beatrix Potter

Few single persons have added as much bulk cuteness to the world as iconic children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, who gave the world Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and more (not to mention the innumerable paper dolls, stuffed animals, children’s tea sets, ceramic figurines, onesies and other collectibles festooned with her rodent-centric art).

As part of a massive English and children’s literature auction at Sotheby’s in London on July 12, a little bit more of that cuteness came into view, as a number of Potter’s personal effects were up on the block.

"Kitten Warming Her Paws by the Kitchen Fire," an 180-by-133 mm grisaille ink-and-watercolor drawing, signed with initials in the lower left corner, sold for £12,500 ($16,667).
"Kitten Warming Her Paws by the Kitchen Fire," an 180-by-133 mm grisaille ink-and-watercolor drawing, signed with initials in the lower left corner, sold for £12,500 ($16,667).
FROM THE COLLECTION OF JIM AND MOLLIE GADDUM AND THENCE BY FAMILY DESCENT.

The sale included included two dangerously charming illustrations ― a rare greeting card featuring two mice nestled in half a coconut and an unrecorded ink-and-watercolor sketch of a kitten warming herself by the fireplace.

You may need a moment to recover from the full-on swoon brought on by these adorable, brilliantly rendered drawings. Take your time.

Potter’s genius for capturing the tiny details that make each of her animal subjects seem real, yet animated with an almost human intelligence, shines through in these lots, which both sold at auction on Tuesday.

Also open for bidding on Tuesday: a number of Potter’s personal photographs, some taken by her father, Rupert Potter, a talented man in his own right. The photos give a comprehensive look at her life, from girlhood to adulthood ― and in case you were wondering what kind of little girl Beatrix Potter was, the answer is yes, she was the kind of little girl who held a rabbit while sitting for a formal portrait.

Beatrix Potter with a rabbit and her cousin Alice Crompton Potter.
Beatrix Potter with a rabbit and her cousin Alice Crompton Potter.
Rupert Potter/Sotheby's
Beatrix Potter in an undated photo.
Beatrix Potter in an undated photo.
Rupert Potter/Sotheby's

To get a closer look at some of the lots that were auctioned off on Tuesday, you can check out the catalog listing at Sotheby’s. For more of Beatrix Potter’s magic, check out some more adorable rabbit illustrations below.

The 1904 edition of "The Tales of Beatrix Potter," which Britain's Prince Charles had in his nursery, is pictured during a photo call for the exhibition "HRH The Prince of Wales: An Exhibition to Celebrate his Sixtieth Birthday" in 2008.
The 1904 edition of "The Tales of Beatrix Potter," which Britain's Prince Charles had in his nursery, is pictured during a photo call for the exhibition "HRH The Prince of Wales: An Exhibition to Celebrate his Sixtieth Birthday" in 2008.
MAX NASH via Getty Images
An illustration for Frederick Weatherly's "A Happy Pair" by Beatrix Potter circa 1890.
An illustration for Frederick Weatherly's "A Happy Pair" by Beatrix Potter circa 1890.
Heritage Images via Getty Images
A rabbit in a blue jacket walking in snow toward a cottage at Dominic Winter Book Auctions in Swindon, England. The picture is part of a series, which are believed to be original drawings by Beatrix Potter.
A rabbit in a blue jacket walking in snow toward a cottage at Dominic Winter Book Auctions in Swindon, England. The picture is part of a series, which are believed to be original drawings by Beatrix Potter.
Barry Batchelor/PA Archive
A handout image from Sotheby's auction house from its English Literature Sale shows Beatrix Potter's illustration for the final scene from "The Rabbits Christmas Party" which sold for a record £289,250 at auction July 17, 2008.
A handout image from Sotheby's auction house from its English Literature Sale shows Beatrix Potter's illustration for the final scene from "The Rabbits Christmas Party" which sold for a record £289,250 at auction July 17, 2008.
Ho New / Reuters
The first edition of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," privately printed by the author Beatrix Potter in 1901, is displayed at the Beatrix Potter Museum established by Daito Bunka University in Higashi Matsuyama, north of Tokyo.
The first edition of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," privately printed by the author Beatrix Potter in 1901, is displayed at the Beatrix Potter Museum established by Daito Bunka University in Higashi Matsuyama, north of Tokyo.
Kiyoshi Ota / Reuters

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