Artists You Should Know: Beatrix Potter

Excerpted from the Art History mailbag:

" ... so I don't suppose you consider illustrators as artists, but maybe you should feature an illustrator for once."

There was more to this email, of course, but I felt like sharing the part that made me splutter in misunderstood outrage. Mainly because, being one myself, I have always staunchly defended the work of illustrators as "fine." And, if the reader had searched this site even the slightest bit, he'd have known we've had the incomparable motion picture artistic director, Mentor Huebner, and magazine illustrators Norman Rockwell and Thomas Nast featured here as "Artists You Should Know" -- not to mention the mangaka, Akira Toriyama, or the great pains I took to include Honoré Daumier's and William Hogarth's prolific graphics work. Honestly, it's quite annoying to be accused of Art Snobbery.

In an effort to show just how far removed from elitism we get here, let's talk for a moment about Beatrix Potter: an upper-class female from the Victorian era, with no formal artistic training. If she had been able to choose the chronological and geographical parameters of her life, surely she would have chosen easier times/places in which to pursue being a working artist. Since she didn't have this luxury, it's small wonder that children's books were about the only acceptable route she could go. One hundred years into this endeavor, Miss Potter has sold her illustrations in some 40 million copies of her books. I'd say that's an enviable success for any artist, fine or otherwise. Besides that, I (still) enjoy the rabbit, mouse and squirrel pictures, and you did leave the choice up to me. So, there's "your" illustrator, Writer.