Unseen Winnie-the-Pooh Sketches Revealed for Book's Centenary Exhibition
Two previously unseen preliminary pencil sketches by E H Shepard for the original Winnie-the-Pooh book have been shared for the very first time by the artist's family. This remarkable unveiling marks the centenary of one of the most cherished and enduring works in children's literature, which was first published in 1926.
The drawings, which were abandoned at the earliest stages of the book's creation, offer a rare and fascinating glimpse into Shepard's creative working process and vivid imagination as he brought AA Milne's iconic characters to life. They depict familiar passages from the narrative that were not accompanied by illustrations in the originally published volume.
Climbing Cautiously Up the Stream
One pencil drawing is captioned 'Climbing very cautiously up the stream' and shows Pooh alongside his adventure-loving companions Christopher Robin, Piglet, and Owl. This sketch was intended for Chapter VIII, where Christopher Robin leads an 'expotition' to the North Pole.
In that memorable passage, Milne wrote: 'We are all going on an Expedition,' said Christopher Robin, as he got up and brushed himself. 'Thank you, Pooh.' 'Going on an Expotition?' said Pooh eagerly. 'I don't think I've ever been on one of those. Where are we going to on this Expotition?' 'Expedition, silly old Bear. It's got an 'x' in it.' 'Oh!' said Pooh. 'I know.' But he didn't really.
Hunting for a Woozle
The other sketch is a delicate study for Chapter III, where Pooh and Piglet embark on a hunting trip and nearly catch a mysterious Woozle. Like its counterpart, this drawing did not make it into the final published book, making its appearance now all the more significant for literary and artistic historians.
Exhibition Details and Expert Commentary
These unique drawings will be showcased at Peter Harrington Rare Books on Dover Street in central London, as part of a special exhibition opening on 17 April. Philip W Errington, a senior specialist at Peter Harrington, described the sketches as 'very special' and highlighted their artistic value.
Errington elaborated: 'In these preliminary sketches, Shepard's putting these first thoughts on paper and there's an absolute, vibrant creativity going on there. The skill that he's got in rendering movement is really quite exceptional. The pencil marks across that page are really beautifully done. You've got the rapid creativity plus Shepard's hallmark movement. These pieces really do leap off the page.'
He further noted: 'It is extraordinarily rare to encounter preliminary drawings of Winnie-the-Pooh that capture what might be called the first moment of inspiration – the instant where Shepard is thinking through movement, character and narrative in pencil alone.'
Regarding the 'Climbing very cautiously up the stream' drawing, Errington pointed out: 'You can see Christopher Robin at the front. Pooh is really very distinct and Piglet is beautifully done, but he's got a little arrow at the bottom where he's put 'closer'. Perhaps he was having a bit of a problem with how those characters appear on the page. You've also got Kanga and Eeyore.'
Errington, who served as an adviser to a 2017 Shepard exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, explained the distinction in Shepard's work: 'There are two types of drawing – the preliminary drawings, usually done in pencil, where he starts to create and play with the image and work out what is going to happen, and the finished drawings.' The V&A holds most of Shepard's preliminary drawings, bequeathed by the artist in 1969, underscoring the rarity and importance of these newly revealed pieces.
