【The Ages of Lulu (1990)】

LONDON -- It's been 150 years since the birth of Beatrix Potter,The Ages of Lulu (1990) the creator of four rather famous rabbits: Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter.

SEE ALSO: New Beatrix Potter story to be published 100 years after it was written

The beloved British author's legacy lives on more than 70 years after her death. In fact, every 15 seconds, someone in the world buys a Beatrix Potter book. And, her unforgettable characters, including Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Squirrel Nutkin and, of course, Peter Rabbit endure as household names and bedtime reading favorites.

But as well as crafting some of our best-loved childhood favorites, Potter was also a pioneering businesswoman, scientist and farmer.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

Here are six times the Reinaissance Woman was a complete and utter badass.

1. The collector

Potter's childhood holidays in the Scottish countryside and the Lake District inspired a lifelong love of nature. As a child, Potter and her brother filled their school room with rabbits, mice and a hedgehog, as well as butterflies and insects.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

English writer Beatrix Potter's lifelong love of nature didn't just inspire her novels.... Credit: Hulton Archive/ Getty Images

2. The girl who coded

During Potter's adolescence, she kept a journal. But, this was no run-of-the-mill 'dear diary' -- it was written in a code of her own invention that only she understood. Potter used a letter-for-letter substitution code to record her thoughts on art and artists, society, and observations about everyday life. Some entries in her journal took the form of letters addressed to 'Esther,' an imaginary friend, in which she aired her frustrations about her life and vowed to "do something".

3. The scientist

Potter's love of nature also informed a keen interest in botany and mycology, the scientific study of fungi. Potter delighted in painting fungi and during the 1890s she began creating microscopic drawings of fungus spores. In 1895, she wrote a theory on fungus germination.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

However, Potter's gender and amateur status resulted in her being dismissed by the director of Kew Gardens, a botanical garden in London. In 1897, after 13 years of research, Potter submitted a paper called "On the Germination of the Spores of the Agaricineae"to the Linnean Society, but she was not allowed to attend its reading because only men were invited to the club's meetings. Potter's paper and her detailed illustrations have since been rediscovered, and today mycologists refer to her drawings to identify fungi. In 1997, the Linnean Society issued a posthumous apology to Potter for the sexist mishandling of her research.

4. The shrewd businesswoman

One year after the publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902, Potter patented a Peter Rabbit doll of her own design. In the years that followed, china tea sets, wallpaper, painting books and myriad other forms of merchandise were licensed by Potter's publisher Frederick Warne & Co, which provided Potter with an additional income.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

5. The rebel

In 1905 Potter got engaged to Norman Warne, the son of her her publisher. However, Potter's wealthy parents did not approve of the union due to Warne's "trade" background, deeming him an unsuitable match. Sadly, the engagement was short-lived as Warne died of leukaemia one month later. Potter remained unmarried until the age of 47 when she unexpectedly married William Heelis, a solicitor.

6. The farmer

Beatrix Potter wasn't just an author, illustrator, scientist and businesswoman. She also turned her hand to farming late in her life after purchasing Hill Top Farm in the Lake District. Potter went on to win awards as a breeder of Herdwick sheep. At the time of her death in 1943, Potter owned 14 farms and 4,000 acres of land.

In 1942, she was named the first female President-elect of the Herdwick Sheepbreeders' Association. But she passed away before taking office.

• Tech
• Games
• Social Good
• Science
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Deals
• Life

• Hidden Siri Commands and Unusual Responses
• Apple is working on a smart display with robotic arm, report says
• Barnard's star tricked scientists before: why this planet is real.
• Best Prime member deal: Get the Amazon Echo Show 5 with the Blink Outdoor 4 camera for under $60
• Samsung Unpacked stream is set for May 12, 2025
• NYT Strands hints, answers for September 28
• Best Buy Member Deals Days 2024
• Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid 2024 livestream: Watch La Liga for free
• The best day to book your flight, according to Google
• Ole Miss vs. Kentucky football livestreams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more

• Mark Zuckerberg just said he wants Facebook to save the world
• ProtectPax 'liquid glass' claims to toughen up your iPhone display
• Elon Musk reveals new details about the 'Boring Company'
• This spreadsheet full of texts people want to send to their exes is really something special
• There's a reason why you feel like time is moving slower in Trump's America
• Rufio from 'Hook' could get his own movie
• MLB team has perfect Twitter response to Chris Christie's rant
• This salty reaction GIF is the internet's new favorite meme
• Dude defies physics and saves toddler from falling off a counter
• Trump follows up bizarre press conference with even weirder email

• Best Apple deal: Save $19 on AirTag 4
• Best Buy Member Deals Days 2024
• Best air purifier deal: Save up to 46% off during Amazon's early Prime Day sale
• Put Alexa in charge of these digital chores
• Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
• Shark's new FlexFusion wants to be your one and only hair
• NYT Strands hints, answers for September 28
• New York Film Festival preview: 10 movies you ought to know about
• Keeping Hope Alive
• Clemson vs. Stanford football livestreams: Kickoff time, streaming deals, and more

• Best Apple deal: Save $19 on AirTag 4
• Verizon on outage: 'Service has started to be restored'
• Colts vs. Steelers 2024 livestream: How to watch NFL for free
• MotoGP livestream: Watch the 2024 Indonesia Grand Prix for free
• SpaceX's Starlink will provide free satellite internet to families in Texas school district
• Oklahoma vs. Auburn football livestreams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
• Manchester United vs. Tottenham 2024 livestream: Watch Premier League for free
• The 26 best horror movies now streaming on Peacock
• How to Squeeze the Most Out of Your iPhone's Battery
• When will the Verizon outage be fixed? Here’s what we know