Jessica Miller

At last, Beatrix printed off a small run of copies which might be shared with friends and family.

In 1902, the publisher Frederick Warne saw Beatrix's little book and was charmed.

Together, they prepared the story for commercial publication with color plate illustrations.

The tale of Peter Rabbit was an immediate success.

The story captivated readers, and its illustrations, which blended Victorian whimsy with Beatrix's scientific eye for accuracy, caused a sensation.

The public was delighted with the young rabbit, Peter, who dressed in a natty blue velvet jacket, and his sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, who wore demure red capes.

In partnership with WARN, Beatrix was soon producing two storybooks a year.

Following on from Peter Rabbit, she wrote The Tailor of Gloucester and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin.

In all, she would publish more than 20 children's books, in which perfectly realistic animals dressed in the latest Victorian fashions and went on adventures through the picturesque moors, dales, and forests of the English countryside.

For most of her career, she worked very closely with her editor, Frederick's son, Norman Warne.

Their relationship did not stay purely professional.

Beatrix had always been a shy woman, more at home in the forest than she was in the drawing rooms of Victorian society.

A woman who counted more pets than people among her friends.

In the gentle, soft-spoken Norman, she found a kindred spirit, someone who truly understood her and encouraged her ambitions.

The two fell in love.

Beatrix's family did not approve of the match.

In pursuing a career as a writer and illustrator, Beatrix was already defying social conventions

Her parents never fully supported her career.

They certainly couldn't support their only daughter becoming involved with an editor.

They viewed Norman as a tradesman, well below their own class.