A white mouse in a four-poster bed

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) left this watercolour in the bedroom she slept in during one of her visits to Melford Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk in October 1901. The mouse is meant to be a representation of Potter tucked up comfortably in bed, alluding to the fact that she enjoyed her stay. She would often travel with her entourage of animals and the children of the family would look forward to seeing which pets accompanied her each visit.

Melford Hall, Suffolk, was the home of Beatrix Potter's cousin Ethel Hyde-Parker. Beatrix visited many times as a break from her London family home.

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is one of the world's best-loved children's authors and illustrators. She wrote the majority of the twenty-three original Peter Rabbit books between 1901 and 1913. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale.