1  

   HANDWRITING  ANALYSIS  OF  BEATRIX  POTTER  –    by  Arlyn  Imberman      Beatrix  Potter  was  a  highly  intelligent,  creative  soul,  who  lived  very  much  for  the  life  of  the  mind,  which  was  her  inner  theatre.    Her  intelligence  can  be  seen  in  the  degree  of  simplification  and  balance  in  the  space,  form,  and  movement  of  her  writing  on  the  page.  If  you  look  at  the  large  spaces  between  the  words,  you  will  realize  that  she  was  an  introvert,  not  trusting  of  others  and  disinterested  in  social  commitments,  which  other  women  of  her  station  either  enjoyed  or  believed  was  an  obligation.    

 

  2  

She  was  adept  at  making  her  fantasies  and  creative  ideas  real,  seen  in  the  originality  of  the  form.  Her  Lower  Zone*  extension  does  not  return  to  the  baseline.  **  Instead,  it  contains  an  angle  that  can  be  seen  as  tenacity  but  also  shows  a  lack  of  emotional  fulfilment—a  common  issue  among  young  ladies  of  the  Victorian  era.    Potter’s  writing  style  is  filled  with  elegance  and  originality.  She  didn’t  need  to  complete  but  merely  suggests  the  letter  “r”  in  “rabbit”—a  minimal  line,  again,  expressive  of  her  intellect  and  speed.  This  overall  linear  picture  reveals  a  high  degree  of  simplification,  quite  unusual  in  a  time  of  florid  and  embellished  forms  of  letter  writing.    By  viewing  her  writing  pattern  as  a  tapestry  of  design  created  without  attention  to  the  meaning  of  the  letters,  one  will  appreciate  her  artistic  and  aesthetic  inclination  seen  by  the  originality  of  the  strokes,  organization  of  the  space,  and  need  for  balance  and  harmony.  She  maintained  a  very  strong  attention  to  form.    The  strong  line  of  the  Lower  Zone  illustrates  forcefulness.  She  was  assertive—the  words  are  very  connected,  confirming  her  perseverance  and  focus  in  reaching  her  goals.  If  you  examine  the  placement  of  the  letters  on  the  page,  as  well  as  consistency  of  the  t-­‐crosses  and  i-­‐dots,  you  will  realize  her  perfectionism,  respect  for  details,  clarity  of  space,  and  precision.    Although  the  formations  of  the  letters  appear  somewhat  rigid,  there  is  a  lovely  rhythm  and  energy  to  the  style.  The  height  of  the  Upper  Zone***  reveals  that,  despite  the  writing  pattern  being  emotionally  unreleased,  it  is  idealistic  and  reflective  of  principals  and  standards.    Potter  was  very  loyal  and  discriminating,  apparent  in  the  degree  of  consistency  and  regularity  of  the  writing  style,  but  only  with  those  she  allowed  into  her  inner  circle,  suggesting  her  difficulty  with  intimacy.    If  you  think  of  the  crudeness  of  the  writing  instruments  of  the  nineteenth  century,  you  see  both  a  strong  ability  to  navigate  the  pen  and  expressiveness  in  the  formation  of  the  letters.  She  enjoyed  the  experience  of  being  involved  with  nature,  its  sounds,  fragrances,  colours  and  open  spaces,  which  delighted  all  her  senses.    She  was  physically  vigorous  despite  the  delicacy  and  sensitivity  of  the  writing.  In  the  sample,  the  outlines  of  the  drawing  came  first  and  the  word  “digging”  is  written  over  the  lines  of  the  artwork.  She  was  willing  to  sacrifice  the  clarity  and  pattern  of  the  drawing  to  preserve  the  spatial  arrangement  and  order  she  had  created  on  the  page.  This  is  another  example  of  her  perfectionism.    She  was  inner-­‐directed  as  one  can  observe  by  her  spatial  picture—whatever  she  put  her  mind  to,  she  was  determined  to  complete  with  competence  and  high  standards.  The  baseline  is  strong,  straight,  and  clear,  testifying  again  to  emotional  control.    Her  handwriting  shows  that  she  was  bent  on  accomplishment  and  transcendence  of  her  past  and  her  era,  confirmed  by  the  unconventional  and  original  letter  forms,  which  were  

  3  

quite  out  of  sync  with  the  writing  of  her  time.  While  protecting  her  active  fantasy  life,  Potter  was  nourished  by  and  continued  to  translate  her  creativity  and  originality  into  accomplishments  that  would  serve  her  needs.    The  writing  rhythm  and  confident  placement  of  the  words  on  the  page  illustrate  her  ability  to  process  information  quickly.  Her  intellectual  curiosity  was  insatiable  and  her  skill  at  moving  quickly  from  one  project  to  another  confirms  her  business  acumen.  Think  of  how  brilliant  she  was  to  extend  her  “brand”  to  merchandise,  dolls,  plates,  etc.,  while  living  in  the  Victorian  Age!    Beatrix  Potter  combined  the  purity  of  a  child’s  imagination  and  creative  fantasy  with  the  instincts  and  intellect  of  a  pioneer  marketer  and  entrepreneur—a  woman  well  ahead  of  her  time.      *          Lower  zone  letters  that  go  beneath  the  baseline  **      Baseline  line  on  which  the  letters  rest  ***  Upper  zone  extension  and  height  of  letters  such  as  T,  L,  D,  F,  H        ARLYN  IMBERMAN  is  a  very  experienced  graphologist,  founded  Emerging  Image  and  has  been  counselling  Fortune  100  and  emerging  growth  companies,  start-­‐ups  and  not-­‐for-­‐profits,  for  almost  two  decades.  She  lives  in  New  York  and  has  contributed  to  both  the  B.I.G.  Journal  and  to  the  Symposium.