Some people admire historical figures, some tend to vibe more with celebrities. But me? My lifestyle icon is Tasha Tudor.

Throughout her life, Tasha was a prolific children’s book illustrator who published more than 100 books during her lifetime, remains well-known for her books as well as her early American 1830’s New England lifestyle and the pleasures of a simple life. Now, I’m no illustrator, but when it comes to living the simple life? Tasha is life goals.

“There is no peace that cannot be found in the present moment.” – Tasha Tudor

Who she was

Tasha Tudor will be remembered as a beloved children’s book illustrator, with such titles to her credit as A Child’s Garden of Verses, The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. These books are all classics now and her illustrations made these stories come to life for young readers of several generations. But, beyond creating beautiful images Tasha lived a unique lifestyle all her own. Her unconventional way of life was confusing for some, but I find it idyllic and charming.

Tasha didn’t have a conventional upbringing, mostly due to the fact she was born into a very wealthy and creative family. She was raised around some of the brightest and most illustrious thinkers of the day, like Alexander Graham Bell, from whom she acquired a love of gardening, and the painter John Singer Sargent.

After having four children and being married twice, Tasha decided to do things her own way. She moved to her dream home, a cottage she built on land her son cleared for her in Vermont, lovingly known as Corgi Cottage. This is where she lived what some might call a “pioneer life,” hauling water and heating her home by burning wood. From her quaint home, Tudor made her own clothing, raised goats and was nearly entirely self-reliant. During this time, she still worked and gave talks, but she was living on her owns terms as she wanted to live. She embraced the simple life wholeheartedly.

“I enjoy solitude. It’s probably selfish, but why bother about it. Life is much too important, as Oscar Wilde said, to be taken seriously. I feel so sorry for those mothers who are devastated by loneliness when their children fly the coop and don’t want to live at home anymore. They feel lost, but look what exciting things can be done. Life isn’t long enough to do all you could accomplish. And what a privilege to be alive. In spite of all the pollutions and horrors, how beautiful this world is. Supposing you only saw the stars once every year. Think what you would think. The wonder of it!” ― Tasha Tudor

Why she inspires me

I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “I was born in the wrong era,” but I fully believe that.

Tasha Tudor borrows her life from another century and wraps it around her tightly. Her days unfold with a gentle rhythm, from earliest light, when she sets out barefoot to milk her goats, until she settles in the parlor by the fireplace with a cup of chamomile tea at nightfall. She welcomes the crisp autumn mornings in Vermont because they herald winter, when temperatures plunge to 30 below and she burrows even further into her nest. The modern world seldom intrudes.

I definitely love that she wore her long frocks, petticoats, aprons, lacy kerchiefs and hand-knit shawls with an unconscious grace, as if she truly lived 150 years earlier. I don’t necessarily want to wear the same style, but I appreciate the idea of dresses and aprons at home, I always have. I just find wearing breezy dresses to be equally as comfortable as yoga pants, but with an extra spring in my step.

Her evenings were spent knitting, reading and working on her drawings in the soft lamplight. But nothing gave Tasha as much comfort these days as her sprawling garden; thoughts of the garden sustained her even in winter. Tasha’s life was interwoven with her space. You won’t find a television in her house, or even a working clock because she wasn’t running on anyone else’s schedule. She let her garden tell her when it’s time to get ready for winter, to fill her root cellar, replenish her woodpile, cover the flower beds, gather herbs to hang in bundles from the rafters and harvest a bushel of pears.

Don’t get me wrong, she was an oddball. Her life may have looked picturesque, but she was a prickly character who lived life on her own terms. Tasha Tudor was one of the last true eccentrics, someone whose peculiarity owed nothing to image and everything to individual proclivity. That she lived by candlelight, had hundreds of corgis, spun her own flax, raised goats and chickens and wore clothing exclusively from the 1830s was almost incidental, which is what made her so incredibly inspirational.