The Mice Sewing the Mayor’s Coat 1902

Beatrix Potter created “The Mice Sewing the Mayor’s Coat” with watercolour and ink, and what strikes me first is her beautiful handling of the materials. It’s a process of building up translucent layers, letting the light bounce through. Look at how Potter uses delicate lines to define the forms of the mice, but then softens them with washes of brown and grey. The texture of the paper peeks through in places, creating a gentle, almost fuzzy effect. The colour palette is soft and muted, mostly earth tones, which gives the scene a cozy, intimate feel. But then, BAM, there’s this pop of bright pink in the Mayor’s coat, really drawing your eye. And did you notice the tiny details, like the little pink bow on the one mouse? This playful touch brings the whole scene to life. Potter was also a trained natural scientist and her detailed illustrations of animals are reminiscent of the scientific illustrations of Ernst Haeckel. Like Haeckel, Potter transforms observations of the natural world into something new, inviting us to see the world in a different way.