1901
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe is a 1901 watercolor by Beatrix Potter, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This whimsical painting shows three mice looking up at a broom. The mice are drawn in a simple yet expressive style, with large ears and twitching whiskers. The broom, depicted in a few quick brushstrokes, hangs above them. The background is a soft, creamy color, which adds to the overall sense of warmth and coziness. The painting's title, "There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe," suggests a connection to a traditional nursery rhyme. The artist's use of watercolor creates a sense of delicacy and intimacy, drawing the viewer into the quiet world of the mice. For more on the artist who created this charming scene, look up Beatrix Potter.
The artwork consists of a watercolour featuring three mouse heads and a bundle of twigs, accompanied by the caption "She whipped them all round..." Originally assembled into a booklet, it was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the Linder Bequest, a collection of approximately 2,150 items related to Beatrix Potter and her family.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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.
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