Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic

Featuring more than 200 works spanning over 90 years of Pooh history, the playful exhibition explores the origins, creation and enduring legacy of the classic stories by A.A. Milne (1882–1956) and illustrations by E.H. Shepard (1879–1976) that have captured the hearts of generations of readers.

Drawn primarily from the archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the exhibition  is presented in a truly immersive display, the original drawings, letters, photographs, and early editions, along with whimsical ephemera. Tells how the stories of Pooh and his friends Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, and Christopher Robin have stood the test of time and continue to delight generations of readers around the world.

“Exploring a Classic” reveals the real people, relationships and inspirations behind Winnie-the-Pooh and explore the interplay between text and illustration in the Pooh books, offering new insight into Milne and Shepard’s creative collaboration. Objects on view include original illustrations, manuscripts and proofs along with early editions, letters, photographs, cartoons, ceramics and fashion.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

Image: Ernest Howard Shepard, ‘The bees are getting suspicious’, Winnie‑the‑Pooh chapter 1, p. 15, 1926. Pencil on paper. © The Shepard Trust. Image courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Whether or not you go, the companion publication, Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic, explores the fascinating story behind the development of Winnie-the-Pooh and friends through the creative collaboration between author A. A. Milne and illustrator E. H. Shepard. Beautifully-illustrated with original drawings from the first editions accompanied by extracts from the manuscripts and the published books, this is a testament to the bear’s enduring popularity.

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