Nostalgia for Childhood

Beatrix Potter, like so many other children in the Victorian Era, was to be neither seen nor heard. She was isolated from her parents, who were often at social outings in English high society. As a result she spent most of her time with a long string of governesses, most of whom had little to teach her. Her childhood was isolated and lonely as a result. And yet, childhood was a happy time for her, particularly during her summers at Dalguise House. She learned to love the flora and fauna of the North English countryside, cataloging plants and animals with her brother and learning to sketch what she saw.

When she grew up, she missed those times, and found much of her life between her mid-twenties and mid-thirties to be very unhappy. In one very important way, Beatrix was always a child at heart. Her children's...