Beatrix Potter Christmas card to be auctioned

An original Beatrix Potter Christmas card, Peter Rabbit Sledging, will be auctioned at Sotheby’s Bond Street on December 10.

It was drawn in 1894, eight years before the publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and is estimated at £30,000-£50,000.

Also in the sale is the first Christmas card (£10,000- £15,000), a tradition thought to have been started by Henry Cole (co-founder of the V&A) in 1843 when he commissioned John Calcott Horsley to produce a card with a festive image with the strapline ‘A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year To You’ and lines for the sender to write the recipient’s name and his own signature (www.sothebys.com).

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  • sir mark charles pigott

    hi! we have subscribed to Country Life for many years and SO look forward to the advent calendar issue. today we received the December 4th issue (we live in seattle, washington in the u.s. so are a few weeks late) and have missed the november 27th issue with the advent calendar! do your records show that it was sent? if not, would you please send us one, even though we’ll probably get it after christmas! our address is:
    1031 evergreen point road
    medina, wa 98039
    usa
    many thanks!
    happy christmas!