Following the rabbit's tracks to the lake district. Beatrix Potter Museum in Windermere (England) The Troubled Life of Lovers

Where she was hiding, it was dark and a little scary, but the little girl tried to obey the mistress, who strictly forbade her to leave the shelter. Until it is safe, she must sit quietly, like a mouse in a closet. The girl thought it was a game like hide and seek, lapta or potato.

She sat behind wooden barrels, listened to the sounds coming from her and mentally drew a picture of what was happening. Her father once taught her this. The men around shouted loudly to each other. The girl thought that these rough voices, filled with sea and salt, belonged to sailors. In the distance one could hear the booming ship whistles, piercing ship whistles and the splash of oars, and in the heights, spreading wings and absorbing the spilling sunlight, the gray gulls were chattering.

The lady promised to return soon, and the girl was really looking forward to it. She hid for so long that the sun moved across the sky and warmed her knees, penetrating through her new dress. The girl listened to see if the mistress’s skirts were rustling on the wooden deck. Usually her heels clicked loudly and were always in a hurry to get somewhere, not at all like her mother’s. The girl remembered her mother, absentmindedly, fleetingly, as befits a child who is dearly loved. When will she come? Then thoughts returned to the mistress. She knew her before, and her grandmother talked about her, calling her the Writer. The writer lived in a small house on the outskirts of the estate, behind a thorny labyrinth. But the girl was not supposed to know about this. Her mother and grandmother forbade her to play in the maze and go near the cliff. It was dangerous. Still, sometimes, when no one was looking after her, the girl liked to break taboos.

A ray of sunlight appeared between two barrels, and hundreds of dust particles danced in it. The girl extended her finger, trying to catch at least one. The writer, the cliff, the labyrinth and her mother instantly left her thoughts. She laughed as she watched the motes fly close before flying away.

Suddenly the sounds around changed, the steps quickened, the voices rang with excitement. The girl bent down, caught in the curtain of light, pressed her cheek against the cool wood of the barrels and looked through the boards with one eye.

She saw someone's legs, shoes, hems of petticoats, tails of multi-colored paper ribbons fluttering in the wind. Cunning seagulls scoured the deck in search of crumbs.

The huge ship tilted and roared low, as if from the depths of its belly. The girl held her breath and pressed her palms to the floor. A wave of vibrations swept along the deck boards, reaching her fingertips. A moment of uncertainty - and the ship strained to move away from the pier. A farewell whistle sounded and a wave of joyful cries and “Bon voyage” wishes swept through. They went to America, to New York, where her dad was born. The girl often heard adults whispering about leaving. Mom convinced dad that there was nothing more to wait and he needed to leave as soon as possible.

The girl laughed again: the ship cut through the water, like the giant whale Moby Dick from the story that her father often read. Mom didn't like such fairy tales. She considered them too scary and said that there should be no place for such thoughts in her daughter’s head. Dad invariably kissed mom on the forehead, agreed with her and promised to be more careful in the future, but continued to read to the girl about a huge whale. There were other favorite stories from the book of fairy tales. They talked about orphans and blind old women, about long journeys across the sea. Dad asked just not to tell mom. The girl herself understood that these readings needed to be kept secret. Mom already felt unwell; she fell ill even before her daughter was born. The grandmother often reminded the girl that she needed to behave well, since her mother should not be upset. Something terrible can happen to mom, and only the girl will be to blame for it all. The girl firmly kept the secret fairy tales, games at the maze and the fact that dad took her to visit the Writer. She loved her mother and did not want to upset her.

Someone moved the barrel to the side, and the girl closed her eyes from sun rays. She blinked until the owner of the voice blocked out the light. He was a big boy, eight or nine years old.

“You’re not Sally,” he concluded, looking at her.

The girl shook her head negatively.

According to the rules of the game, she should not reveal her name to strangers.

He wrinkled his nose and the freckles on his face bunched together.

Why is this still the case?

The girl shrugged. It was also impossible to talk about the Writer.

Where is Sally then? - The boy began to lose patience. He looked around. - She ran here, I'm sure.

Suddenly laughter rang across the deck, rustling sounds and quick steps were heard. The boy's face brightened.

Quicker! Otherwise he’ll get away!

The girl stuck her head out from behind the barrel. She watched the boy dive through the crowd, caught up in the swirl of white petticoats.

Even her toes itched, she wanted to play with them so much.

And Beatrix Potter is forever associated with the Lake District. It was there in 1905, less than a year after the death of her beloved fiancé and publisher, that the devastated but determined writer bought Hill Top Farm.

Her admiration for these places is not surprising; even before Beatrice, the Lake District had become a legendary and invigorating place for many writers. In his poems, the Lake District was glorified by Wordsworth (by the way, his house-museum is located here), Coleridge and Southey. Trinity famous representatives The Lake School were among the first English poets who turned their gaze from foreign landscapes to the primeval beauty of their homeland, appreciating the charm of simple life in the lap of nature.

The Lake District is one of the most popular holiday destinations among the British; every year they come here to admire the beauty, go on a yacht, dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and taste local ale.

On the territory of the region there is a famous national park The Lake District, home to England's highest mountain, Scaffell Pike.

From childhood, freethinking and a passion for natural sciences, unusual for a girl of that time, were distinctive features Beatrice Potter and influenced her further work.

After the scientific community rejected the research of an amateur, and more importantly a woman, Miss Potter decided to focus her attention on painting and literature.

In 1913, a marriage to a local lawyer (who was viewed with condemnation by the families of both parties) freed Beatrice from the yoke of her harsh Victorian parents, and she plunged headlong into the rural concerns she loved: haymaking, crop growing, and cattle breeding.

Her little children's books brought in considerable income, which made it possible to buy up the lands of bankrupt farmers in the neighborhood, giving them the opportunity to continue working on them. This is how her personal war was waged for the protection of her beloved Lake District.

She became one of the first members of the National Trust, which was founded by her friend Canon Hardwick Rawnsley, who dedicated himself to conservation natural parks, lands and cultural monuments.

She bequeathed her farms and lands to this foundation, preserving much of the magnificent nature of the Lake District untouched for England.

It is to the care of the writer that England owes the survival of Herdwick sheep, living only in the Lake District, Cumbria, and North-West England.

According to the stories of contemporaries, Beatrix Potter, born in rich family at Kensington and received a strict Victorian education, she enjoyed the role of a lady farmer. Hill Top, which she purchased with her own earnings from books, is located near one of the largest lakes in the Windermere region, and the writer’s house-museum is now open there.

It is no secret that the setting of the Hill Top farm, its garden, gates and vegetable garden became an inexhaustible source of inspiration and nature for the artist. If you refresh your memories before the trip, you can easily recognize the beds, fences and gates in the pictures of the famous storyteller, and if you take a book with you, you can look for differences.

However, the book can also be purchased in a shop next to the museum.

The small rooms of the writer’s house with furniture and dishes seem vaguely familiar to the reader. Thanks to the efforts of members of the National Trust and the Beatrix Potter Society, they were restored to the form in which they existed during her lifetime.

Kids will love her ten-year-old-sized cardboard cutouts of her characters. Adults will be able to immerse themselves in childhood memories, imagining that Peter Rabbit is about to jump out from around the corner.

Don't forget to visit also World of Beatrix Potter theme park on Lake Windermere, where your favorite characters - Peter Rabbit and Jemima the Duck - will come to life.

From Hill Top it is worth going to neighboring farms - Hawkshead, Nir Sori, U-Tree, where the beloved Potter Herdwick sheep continue to be bred. In addition to the fact that they provide excellent meat and wool, which is not afraid of any rain and snow, they also clear the hillsides of harmful weeds.

If you have time to spare, you can take a look at favorite places the writer - to the dilapidated Dryburgh Abbey, the church of her friend Canon Rawnsley and Sir Walter Scott's Abbotsford Castle, which is 2.5 hours away from Hill Top.

Rich nature Northern Britain has always been inspired by Miss Potter. Beatrice could often be seen with her sketchbook near the lake of Coniston and Derwentwater with the small island in the middle described in the tale of Tommy the Tiptoe Squirrel.

It is known that one of her most famous characters, Peter Rabbit, was born in the small Scottish town of Dunkeld, in the house where the Potter family lived in 1893. From here Beatrice sent several drawings to the son of her former governess with the words: “My dear Noel, I don’t know what to write to you, but I’d better tell you a fairy tale about little rabbits called Flopsy, Mopsy, Whitetail and Peter Rabbit...”

In 2006, Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor starred in a touching biopic, which tells the story of the young storyteller's struggle for independence, as well as her romance with publisher Norman Warne, which ended tragically in 1905. The colorful world of the writer, brought to life in the picture in the form of jumping rabbits and ducks, strongly contrasts with the suffering that befell her.

On December 22, 1943, Beatrice passed away. At the request of the writer, the place where her ashes were scattered was not disclosed, and this secret died along with her friend and confidant. But it is known that she rested in those places that she loved so much - in the Lake District.

Beatrice's ancestors lived on an inheritance from the cotton trade. Father, Rupert, devoted most of his time to his own passion for art and photography, and mother, Helen, spent time in the company of writers, painters and politicians. Beatrice's brother Bertram was born 6 years after his sister and was her close friend. At the age of 6, he was sent to boarding school.

Beatrice had a closed and lonely childhood, common for the daughters of bourgeois families of the Victorian era. She was educated by governesses, and she occasionally saw other children.

Potter had a particularly close relationship with her dad, and it was he who was the first to recognize her artistic talent.

Beatrice loved animals and studied them all her life. As children, he and his brother kept frogs, mice, a hedgehog, Isaac Newton's newt, and bat. She watched them and drew them, gradually improving her skills. Later she began to draw animals in clothes, which was an innovation at that time.

Beatrice also had two panties, to which she dedicated many illustrations. She took one of them, Peter the bunny, with her everywhere, even on the train, and led him on a leash. In the paintings, she dressed him in a blue jacket - this image is known throughout the world. It was specifically about St. Petersburg that she wrote her first fairy tale with her illustrations.

In 1902, publisher Frederik Horn published this tale, which had previously been rejected by several other publishers. By 1910, Beatrix Potter was writing, illustrating and publishing approximately 2 books a year. She received fees, which gave her some independence, although she still lived with her parents. In 1905, Beatrice Norman Horne's publisher proposed marriage to her, and she accepted. Norman died a few weeks later from blood cancer. That same year, Beatrice acquired Hill Top Farm in the village of Saray in the Lake District, where she spent a lot of time after Norman's death. In 1913, when she was 47, Beatrix married William Heelis, a notary from the village of Saray, and settled down there. Even at the age of 16, when she visited the Lake District, she was so captivated by its nature that one day she decided to settle there. In the illustrations of Beatrix Potter you can easily identify her house and garden.

After 1920, Potter began to lose her sight and drew less. On at the moment her books mainly consisted of sketches and drawings made earlier. His last major work was “The Tale of Pig Robinson,” published in 1930.

Beatrix Potter was one of the first to become intensively involved in conservation in Great Britain. Gradually, she bought up the farms of her bankrupt neighbors, allowing them to manage the farm.

At the age of 77, Beatrix Potter died from a severe form of bronchitis. She left 4,000 acres of land and 15 farms as a legacy. National Park.

In 2006, a feature film about the writer entitled “Miss Potter” was released.

And it all started with the hobby of a little girl. She loved to draw animals and make up stories about them different stories. These animals were almost her only friends; the girl was very withdrawn and loved being alone with her fantasies more than playing with other children. Her parents were quite wealthy people; they did not take the girl’s talents seriously.

In 1901, Beatrice published her first book, “The Story of Peter Rabbit,” with her own money. The book was not accepted by half a dozen publishers, but it was still published in 250 copies with black and white illustrations that the author made herself. She insisted on a price of halfpenny per book: "little rabbits can't afford to spend 6s." The book instantly became popular, a few weeks later another edition was published, then another, and today this fairy tale can be read in almost any language in the world. It was followed by two dozen more stories, including “The Tale of the Squirrel Click-Click”, “The Tale of Benjamin Rabbit”, “The Tailor of Gloucester” and others.

Lake District

Beatrice lived almost her entire life on the Hill Top estate in the Lake District in the north of England, now her home-museum is on this estate.

Beatrix Potter was sixteen years old when she first saw the Lake District. Then, more than a hundred years ago, she fell in love with the beauty of its nature and decided to settle there someday. As an adult, she fulfilled her youthful dream and moved from London to Hill Top Farm. Beatrice drew detailed illustrations for her fairy tales, in which it is easy to recognize her house and garden.

The writer’s neighbors showed great interest in her work and were happy when they recognized their own houses in the pictures. They often saw Beatrice with a sketchbook, outdoors, in the countryside and in the nearby market town of Hawkshead. Local scenes formed the basis of fairy tales about little animals, and were performed so wonderfully that people still come from all over the world to see the places depicted in her books.

In 1905, the publisher of Beatrice's first book, Norman Warne, proposed to her, but died of blood cancer a few weeks later. That same year she purchased Hill Top Farm in the village of Soray. After Norman's death, she tried to spend as much time there as possible. Types of farm and surrounding nature began to appear in the form of illustrations for her books. In 1913, at the age of forty-seven, Beatrice married the notary William Heelis and began to live permanently in the village of Sorey.

Beatrix Potter was one of the first to take up conservation in England. She gradually bought up the farms of her bankrupt neighbors, allowing them to continue farming. The writer bequeathed 4,000 acres of land and 15 farms to the National Park. Read more>>

Miss Potter in the movies

The heroes of Beatrice's books more than once became cartoon characters; in 1971, a ballet was even staged in London, in which famous English dancers of that time danced the parts of squirrels, mice, frogs and other small animals.

“I was sitting opposite him. He smoked hashish and drank brandy. Not impressed. I didn't know him at all. Unshaven, unkempt and drunk. But soon I met him again in the Rotunda. This time he was gallant and charming. He raised his hat as a sign of greeting, and, embarrassed, asked me to come to his workshop to look at his work. Let's go"

Modigliani was popular among women, he often fell in love and had affairs. But his most passionate love was Beatrice Hastings.

Modigliani was already 30 when he met Beatrice. He was a painter and sculptor with a bad reputation. His works were not sold, and if someone bought them, it was not more than 20 francs. Modigliani had his own artistic style, his work did not belong to any of the popular destinations of that time.

35-year-old Beatrice was not at all like an innocent young girl, although she carefully hid her age and all the details of her personal life.

She was born in London, into the family of a large landowner and was the fifth child of seven. Soon after the birth of their daughter, the family emigrated to Africa.

Beatrice grew up inquisitive and talented. She showed an extraordinary talent for singing in a wide range (she could sing both bass and high soprano), and later learned to play the piano. The girl wrote poetry and even tried herself as a circus rider.

Amedeo and Beatrice first met in July 1914 at the Rotunda Cafe. They were presented by the sculptor Ossip Zadkine. In Paris, Beatrice was known as a poet; at that time she worked as a correspondent for a London magazine The New Age.

Beatrice's memories of Modigliani, like the memories of his close friends, helped form an idea of ​​the artist - his character, habits and experiences.

Amedeo and Beatrice were a very strange couple. Beatrice is a slender, elegant blonde in a provocative hat, Amedeo is a shorter dark brunette, dressed in picturesque rags, vaguely reminiscent of what was once a velvet suit.

Modigliani's Muse

For several years, Modigliani was engaged only in sculpture and only occasionally painted paintings. Modigliani's final return to painting coincided with the beginning of his affair with Beatrice Hastings, who became the model for numerous paintings. He drew her with different hairstyles, wearing hats, standing by the piano, by the door.

One of the most famous portraits of Beatrice Hastings is The Amazon, painted by Modigliani in 1909.

Troubled life of lovers

Their relationship quickly grew into a stormy, passionate and scandalous romance. She was convinced that she could not belong to anyone, and he was furiously jealous, often without reason: it was enough for Beatrice to speak to someone in English.

Opinions differ about how Beatrice influenced Amedeo's destructive addictions. Some argue that she kept him from drinking, while others, on the contrary, believe that Beatrice herself was not against whiskey and that’s why they got drunk together.

It is not surprising that during scandals fists and various objects were often used. One day there was a whole battle, during which Amedeo chased Beatrice with a flower pot throughout the house, and she defended herself with a long broom. But high-profile scandals ended with the same loud reconciliation.

Disputes often arose on the basis of creativity. Thus, Beatrice argued that only other people can objectively evaluate a work, which was fundamentally at odds with the opinion of Amedeo, who considered himself the best critic of his works. In February 1915, in one of her articles in the New Age, Beatrice even wrote that she found a stone head made by Modigliani in a trash can and took it for herself, and now she would not give it to anyone for any money.

Beatrice was strong independent woman. Without remorse, she entered into a relationship with another man, the Italian sculptor Alfredo Pina, which greatly offended Modigliani.

Beatrice and Amedeo were together for two years. The affair ended on Beatrice's initiative.