News, Tips & Bargains : Potter, Peter and Victoria & Albert

Two special exhibitions at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum are celebrating the 100th birthday of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, one of the best-loved animals in children’s fiction.

One display, which runs through Nov. 26, is based on a letter that Potter wrote to a friend’s 5-year-old son in 1893, marking Peter’s first appearance. The exhibit explores the creation of the character from photographs and sketches of the author’s own pet rabbits to the full set of watercolors in the book.

Although associated with the Lake District in Northern England, Potter spent the first half of her life in London and often visited the V & A.

The museum, which has one of the world’s outstanding collections of fine and applied arts, is also highlighting another Potter story, “The Tailor of Gloucester.” Before drawing the elaborate clothes in the tailor’s shop, Potter had studied the museum’s textile and dress collection. That display runs through Jan. 9.

The Victoria and Albert is open daily. Admission is by voluntary donation.