Beatrix Potter

Born in London in 1866, she became one of the best-known children's writers and illustrators of her time. She first developed the story of Peter Rabbit in a letter to a sick child, then turned it into The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902, beginning a series of small-format books that reached readers around the world.

Her work was shaped by close observation of animals and plants, and she was also seriously interested in natural history, especially fungi. Later in life she spent much of her time in England's Lake District, where farming and the landscape became central to her world.

Beyond her books, she is remembered for helping preserve that countryside. When she died in 1943, she left much of her land to the National Trust, helping protect a landscape that had inspired her stories for decades.