She continued to write and illustrate, and to design spin-off merchandise based on her children's books for British publisher Warne until the duties of land management and her diminishing eyesight made it difficult to continue. Potter was also a prize-winning breeder of Herdwick sheep and a prosperous farmer keenly interested in land preservation. In 1913, at the age of 47, she married William Heelis, a respected local solicitor from Hawkshead. Over the following decades, she purchased additional farms to preserve the unique hill country landscape. With the proceeds from the books and a legacy from an aunt, in 1905 Potter bought Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey, a village in the Lake District. Potter wrote over sixty books, with the best known being her twenty-three children's tales. Following this, Potter began writing and illustrating children's books full-time. In her thirties, Potter self-published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Potter's study and watercolours of fungi led to her being widely respected in the field of mycology.

She had numerous pets and spent holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developing a love of landscape, flora and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. Potter was also a pioneer of merchandising-in 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy, making him the oldest licensed character.īorn into an upper-middle-class household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. Her books, including 23 Tales, have sold more than 250 million copies. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was her first published work in 1902. Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist.

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