Autograph letter signed, Falmouth, to Noel Moore, March 11, 1892
Gift of Colonel David McC. McKell, 1959
This is a pussy I saw looking for fish.
These are two little dogs that live in the hotel, & two tame seagulls & a great many cocks & hens in the garden.
I am going today to a place called the Lizard so I have no time to draw any more pictures,
& I remain yours affectionately
Beatrix Potter
This is Potter's earliest known picture letter, written to Noel Moore when he was four years old. It describes a holiday trip to a seaside resort in language easily understandable at his age with illustrations that might pique his interest and retain his attention. Note the passage in square brackets (at the bottom of the third page) cautioning his mother about seashells she proposed to give him and his younger brother.