The Pet Museum

here, xafmes!

2012-02-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

This one's for the Ancient Egyptian geeks out there: some XII Dynasty dog names with hieroglyphs! From Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology, Volume 4 (London: 1876), p. 185.

publication in public domain

I looked up "Snab," which seems to mean "legs" and "stain." I didn't have much luck with the others, but I did find this excellent list of Ancient Egyptian first names!

vintage photo time

2012-01-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

thanks ampersand bulk bin

It's June 1952, and that is one huge, happy cat.

1911: a funny, odd kitty picture book

2012-01-29T10:51:00.000-08:00

Here's the first two pages from Kittens and Cats: A Book of Tales by Eulalie Osgood Grover (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1911), in which a queen issues a command to all her cat people to attend her party. The rest of the book introduces various kitty characters, dressed up and full of news about themselves. It's ... so weirdly cute! Want to see it? Here is its Internet Archive page. (Look at the left where it says "View This Book" - View Online probably easiest for you.)

public domain

baudelaire's "the cat" x3

2012-01-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

"Viens, mon beau chat, sur mon coeur amoureux," reads the first line of cat-adoring Charles Baudelaire's poem Le Chat (The Cat). So how many ways may these French words be translated? Here's three:

Come, superb cat, to my amorous heart

Come, my fine cat, against my loving heart

My beautiful cat, come onto my heart full of love

Isn't that fascinating? And in any guise, it's a most intimate and experimental piece on all the beauties offered by a cat. I am thrilled to have found this page at fleursdumal.org, where you may read all three translations as well as the original. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

the hurdy-gurdy man's dog

2012-01-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

thanks wikimedia commons. public domain.

Those guarded, often sad-eyed dogs you see with street musicians are nothing new. Here's one from the mid-1600's as portrayed by Georges de La Tour (French; 1593-1652). This fellow is a detail from "Ghironda Player with Dog." (A ghironda is a sort of hurdy-gurdy.) In the original painting, you'll see there are a couple of food-like items on the ground next to the dog, a piece of fruit and perhaps a piece of bread; certainly nothing he'd like to eat, but based on the ragged state of his master's cloak, he may have to settle. De La Tour painted a number of hurdy-gurdy men among his other works, and is distinguished by his strong use of light versus shadow. If you thought that looked a lot like Caravaggio's work, you're right - he was likely taught by Dutch followers of Caravaggio's work. Powerful, isn't it?

we break from normal pet types to bring you the year of the dragon

2012-01-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

thanks wikimedia commons. public domain.

I wish there were dragons, actually, though they would be tough to house. Here's a fabulous fellow from the hand of the great Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) to welcome you to the Year of The Dragon. The curatorial spouse is a Dragon, so I couldn't very well talk up my Rabbit year and not give a shout to this benevolent creature. The Asian dragon is considered awe-inspiring and powerful, but also just and a bringer of wealth and good fortune. A good friend to have, no? You can tell this is a Japanese, not Chinese, dragon because it has three claws on each foot, not four or (if he was an Imperial dragon) five. Besides, he hasn't got any wings and is more serpentine in form. You can learn all this and a lot more about Asian dragons at this very detailed and interesting page. Come on, look at his face. How can you resist that friendly smile?
Happy Year of The Dragon to you all!

saint nicholas of the cats

2012-01-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

From The Cosmopolitan, volume 2 nos 1- 6 (Sept. 1886 - Feb. 1887), p.312:
Upon a cape extending from the Isle of Cyprus, there formerly stood a monastery, whose monks were solemnly bound to keep cats to destroy the snakes infesting the island. When a certain bell rang the cats came to their meals, and then set forth again in pursuit of the reptiles. The monastery and cats were destroyed by the Turks, who conquered the island towards the close of the sixteenth century; but, for many years after, the cape was called "Cat Cape."
* * *

That cape is still called Cat Cape. It turns out that monastery was rebuilt and is called Saint Nicholas of The Cats, with a nod to the critters that have been kicking around there for close to two millenia now. I found an article with photos here.

a cat relaxes in a warm garden

2012-01-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

thanks wikipaintings.org - public domain

Here is Raminou, who belonged to the French painter Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938). He pops up in her work now and again in his kitty life; this is from 1932. I was hoping she had painted him looking at snow or in an otherwise wintry mood, as I'm currently housebound under a sheet of ice and snow 5 inches thick, and looked for something along that theme today. Such was not to be. Instead I'll wish myself into this work, "Raminou and pitcher with carnations," where it's warm and lush (Valadon was good at simple animal lushness) and this fine smug cat needs his chin tickled.
Valadon was a free spirit to be reckoned with. You might find this short biography interesting.

vintage photo time

2012-01-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

another great find from ampersand!

All I know about this photo is that it is simply fabulous. Look at that young lady's stylish outfit (and those shoes, I want those shoes). Look at that little boy's shiny curls. And last but not least, look at the dog's ears!

a kind dog, liverpool

2012-01-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

An ill-fated cat fell into the hands of some juvenile ruffians commencing the first stage of cruelty. They alternately stoned their victim, dragged it through a pool of dirty water, beat it and bruised it, and menaced it with drowning. Bipeds passed by unheeding the agonised animal's cries of distress, but a dog having contemplated for some time this scene of inhumanity, and barked his disapprobation, rushed forward, furiously drove one by one the little wretches from the spot, and rescuing the fainting and bleeding animal from the deep ditch, bore it off to his quarters. He then placed it on the straw, licked it all over, and laid down by it; and after this he brought it provision, and the people of the house, inspired by his example, gave it warm milk. Day after day did the dog tend the sick object of his care till it was recovered; and for many years after they were to be seen at the Talbot Inn, Liverpool.

-- from George R. Jesse, Researches into the History of the British Dog, With Original Anecdotes, and Illustrations of the Nature and Attributes of the Dog, From the Poets and Prose Writers of Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times (London: Robert Hardwick, 1866) pp. 122-3.

a franz marc white on white

2012-01-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

thanks wikipaintings.org. public domain

Winter: it's definitely here and with the holidays past nothing much is around to distract us from that. For these two intent seekers, that's just as well; winter is clearly their element, and they are doing what they're made to do. These are "Siberian Sheepdogs," painted circa 1910 by the German Expressionist Franz Marc, one of The Blue Rider's founders, and a painter I always particularly enjoy. In the few years following this piece, his work became increasingly Cubist and was created according to his own color symbolism, but animals and their innate natures remained his main themes. He died in 1916 during WWI. A scant 20 years later the Nazis were removing his work from gallery walls as "degenerate art," which goes to show you how much institutionalized evil fears an honest, deep perception. Even when - or perhaps because - it regards animals.

black cat profile: by artist donna mckenzie

2012-01-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

Image copyright by and with kindest permission of donna mckenzie

Black cats: as I am now reminded daily thanks to Veronica, they are lovely all by themselves. This sensitive, simple image comes to you from North Carolina artist Donna McKenzie. You can find more of her work on Etsy at the shop corelladesign. She also often creates with a playful approach, as you'll see in "Owls Love Hats," for example. The thin, winding lines she prefers using make for an extra winsomeness in the characters, as if you could almost see them breathing.

angry cat is angry...but useful

2012-01-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

image copyright of and by kindest courtesy of funkychicdesigns

Look. I own Elizabeth. Or maybe the other way around. Anyway. You try that situation on for size and then tell me you don't find this clutch hilarious. The eyes have it...and they're burning holes in me! You can find this and many other Angry Cat treats at Katie Jaye's Etsy store, FunkyChicDesigns.

new year, new vintage photo time

2012-01-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

ampersand strikes again

New year equals new opportunities and hopefully new friends - like the two here. I don't know when in the year this was taken, but it's pleasant at this dank post-holiday time to see fresh starts. Speaking of which, I'm glad that carpet obviously wasn't new.

the artist's wife - and dog

2012-01-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

thanks wikimedia commons. public domain via the yorck project.

Anthonis Mor (1517 - 1577) originated from the Netherlands, but his life and career took him a great many places: Portugal, England, Spain. He painted portraits of many of Europe's highest and greatest people; I was surprised to realize it was his hand that created the one best known portrait of Mary I of England. That same portrait won him a place in King Philip of Spain's court, which he left in 1561. Here's confidence for you: after that year Philip wrote him numerous times asking Mor to return, but he wouldn't. You can see that something of that groundedness in his portraits: serious faces, muscles and sinews tense with the weight of the world, a weight that seems even to cast shadows over his palette.

So what am I to make of this 1554 portrait of a woman, said to be Mor's wife Metgen? It's not a great reproduction, but I can still see that her hands are strong and her expression guarded. You'd probably be on your guard too if your husband spent time one on one with the people who make or break the fate of nations. Her dog seems to be showing all the concern she's hiding, but then again, that looks like a toy spaniel and spaniels look worried at the drop of a hat. I like the way her fingers have spread out over the dog's tiny flank, as if to give it shelter.

Have a look at the Wikipedia page on Mor to see how much he accomplished.

reflections on st. francis and others

2012-01-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

. . . The life of the Saint of Assisi was so beautiful a poem in itself, his soul was so lightsome with Divine light, that it is hard to select one jewel from amid such profusion; but surely his love for the brute creation was so remarkable that he stands at the head of the long list of saints who have protected and cared for the dumb creatures that are at the mercy of men.

The holy ones of earth have always shown this tenderness. St. Anthony preached to the fishes. . .St. John the Divine cared for a pet partridge; St. Anselm protected a little hunted hare from the sportsman's fury; St. Aventin out of pity put back into the water some fish which had been brought to him. Many other good hermits made friends of the birds. St. Waltheof would do penance for killing an insect; St. Philip Neri reproved a man for treading upon a lizzard (sic - curator); St. Bernard loved to free birds from the traps set for them; St. Francis de Sales wept with joy to see some doves share a meal with sparrows; and monastic institutions everywhere have always been a refuge for lost and homeless animals.
And so St. Francis of Assisi was not alone in caring for the humbler creatures of God. His gentleness toward them was something wonderful, and so great was his dread of hurting the helpless that he is said to have hesitated before placing his foot upon a stone! And those who love him and would be like him. even by walking in the tortuous and troubled ways in which all saints must tread, may do his work on earth. And a good way to set about it is to refrain from ill treating a dumb beast.
This is the simple and touching way in which he talked to the birds: "My little sisters, the birds, you owe much to God, your Creator, and ought to sing His praise at all times. . . . Beware, my little sisters, of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to praise the Lord."
—Rev. Daniel E. Hudson, C. S. C, the Ave Maria Notre Dame, Indiana.
* * *
Though I know the stories of St. Francis and have loved many paintings of his Sermon to the Birds, most of these other saints' tales were brand new to me. I would love to look into them. I found this tidbit in a goldmine of a periodical called Our Dumb Animals, published by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, volume 22 no. 4 (September 1889), p. 106. And I LOVE the spelling "lizzard."

happy new year! party purrfectly

2011-12-31T17:58:00.000-08:00

US Library of Congress Prints and Photographs division, digital ID cph.3b50948 {{{PD-1923}}}

Here's a Currier & Ives piece from circa 1871 with three jolly kittens showing not one whit of restraint. (The 1800's weren't all buttoned up all the time - far from it.)

And they help me wish you

Happy New Year!

Party safely, Museum friends! Bring on 2012!

P.S. Don't let kittens drink port and purr.

a mouse and a grape

2011-12-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

wikimedia commons {{PD-US}}

Mice: elegant, nimble, satisfied with little, as we see here. One luscious purple grape will make a feast for this fellow. The last bit of the grape stem twins with the mouse's tail in a loopdeloop of full, soft forms: fruit today becomes mouse tomorrow, you could say. This lovely ink painting, rich in its simplicity, is by Watanabe Shotei (Japenese; 1851-1918). I couldn't find much about him but here's a bit from the British Museum.

musings on the cat

2011-12-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

"Poor pussy," we naturally call the cat. Do we know why? Is it not in instinctive recognition of the strange fact that this gentle beast is the most generally misunderstood creature in the world? Her reserve, her self-reliance, her inextinguishable love of liberty have earned for her a name totally unlike her real character.
And why, again, do we always give a cat the feminine pronoun? The Arabs have a legend that when the first father and mother went out into the desert alone, Allah gave them two friends to defend and comfort them; for defense, the dog, for comfort, the cat. In the body of the dog he placed the soul of a brave man, in that of the cat, the spirit of a gentle woman. Is there in this story a deeper meaning than has been suspected? The woman has never yet come to her full development (Hmph - curator); the cat has never been understood.

-- Olive Thorne Miller, from "Pet Lore for Pet Lovers Part V. Poor Puss," in The Home-maker Vol. 2 (The Home-maker Co., 1889), p. 187. I've run into old references to the Arabic legend, but never a translation of the legend itself. I'd love to see it if you have one!

merry poodlin' christmas!

2011-12-24T10:07:00.001-08:00

guess where

And the happiest of holidays to every single one of you:
human, hairy, finned, feathered and furred!
Thank you for dropping by the Museum this year.
Your company has been a wonderful gift all through 2011.

Merry Christmas!

vintage photo time: it's christmas eve!

2011-12-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

bulk bin ampersand strikes again

It's Christmas Eve 1971. There's Mom, and there's Howard, and - oh, there's Socky.

Has everybody got a present ready for the furry family members tomorrow? Veronica and Elizabeth are getting knit catnip animals. Briar is getting a big chew bone and a sweater.

I hope you are all settling in for the holiday and not having to run around like crazy during these last few hours!

more on the yuletide cat of iceland

2011-12-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

"The ginormous cat’s sole purpose in life is to eat children (and adults, some say) that do not get a new piece of clothing before Christmas. Yes, it devours financially disadvantaged children.This is the kind of message Icelanders like to send out in their folklore: if you do not have the money or means of acquiring new items of clothing before the festival of lights, you will be eaten by a gigantic cat."
Yes, this is a tongue-in-cheek piece on the Jólakötturinn (the Christmas Cat), the oddly grim accessory to the season as enjoyed by our friends in Iceland. For the rest of the piece - and you will not only laugh, but enjoy the artwork - visit here.
For a translated poem about this judgemental feline, look here. And if I were you I would make sure everyone gets at least new socks for the holiday.

dogs join in the adoration

2011-12-20T20:37:00.001-08:00

thanks wikimedia commons {{PD-Art}}

So many busy people, fetching, carrying, unpacking. A few are adoring: there's one of the Three Wise Men bending in for a good look at a cutely tubby Baby Jesus, while the other two stand behind, striking poses and waiting their turn. There's a horse, a donkey, a camel - there's even a monkey in the lower left corner - all unbothered by the business of making offerings, gazing directly at the Child.

Then there's the dogs, featured front and center. Stepping softly, they are nosing up to people they know, wanting to see what's happening. You can guess what they'll do next. They'll pad up the two steps to the Virgin Mary, over the worldly crown discarded underfoot. Then they'll be perfectly placed to raise their noses, sniff, wag their tails. Hello, new friend. And what better new friends for a child than creatures full of love, loyalty, and the immediate joys of living?

This Adoration of the Magi was painted by Francesco Bassano the Younger (1549-1592) at some point in his adulthood. He clearly knew how to observe dogs. I wish he had learned more from them; he died unhappy at 42, I'm sorry to say.

a dog proves useful for a russian christmas tradition

2011-12-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

"Here is a hint for English young ladies next Christmas. In Russia, we take little loaves of bread. On the little loaves of bread we write young ladies' and gentlemen's names, and then we call in a brisk little hungry dog to gobble them up. Those whose names are written on the loaves which the little dog has gobbled up, will be married before the year is out: the rest must wait for a more favourable opportunity. Oh, what bright eyes follow the little dog!"
- from All the Year Round, the magazine edited by Charles Dickens (issue of January 10, 1863) p. 424.

finally introducing . . . veronica

2011-12-16T13:10:00.001-08:00

Yes, we finally got her to come inside. What goes on in that pretty little head of yours, what goes on in that place in the dark? Well we've got ourselves a cat and I can swear that her name is Veronica. Apologies to Elvis Costello.

"Black cats keep care and trouble away from the house. It is lucky for a black and strange cat to stray into anybody's house."
Marie Trevelyan, Folk-lore and folk-stories of Wales (London, 1909), p. 80.

catullus on the death of his girlfriend's sparrow

2011-12-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Roman poet Catullus (dates thought to be 84 - 54 BC) has gone in and out of fashion, depending on the fashion's tolerance for broad sexual references and poking of fun. For example, you won't be any more surprised than I was at this Victorian commentary on his poems:

They exhibit the sensual grossness which is imbibed from depraved habits and loose imaginations, in singular contrast with gleams of sentiment and taste, and the polish of intellectual cultivation. Many of his amatory trifles are quite unrivalled in the elegancy of their playfulness, and no author has excelled him in the purity and neatness of his style, the delightful ease and racy simplicity of his manner, and his graceful turns of thought and happiness of expression. But many of his poems are stained by gross coarseness and sensuality, which will forever be a bar to their being generally read.

Not true. People still read Catullus, and not least the poems he wrote for a lover he called "Lesbia." She had a pet sparrow, and when it died, he wrote a tender "Elegy" which not only celebrates the little bird, but reminds us to feel with a girl's grief.

Translated by Francis Fawkes in the 1770's, with the immediate and honest styling of that era:

All ye gentle powers above,
Venus, and thou god of love;
All ye gentle souls below,
That can melt at others' woe,
Lesbia's loss with tears deplore,
Lesbia's sparrow is no more:
Late she wont her bird to prize
Dearer than her own bright eyes.
Sweet it was, and lovely too,
And its mistress well it knew.
Nectar from her lips it sipt,
Here it hopt, and there it skipt:
Oft it wanton'd in the air,
Chirping only to the fair:
Oft it lull'd its head to rest
On the pillow of her breast.
Now, alas! it chirps no more;
All its blandishments are o'er:
Death has summon'd it to go
Pensive to the shades below;
Dismal regions! from whose bourn
No pale travellers return.
Death! relentless to destroy
All that's form'd for love or joy.
Joy is vanished, love is fled,
For my Lesbia's sparrow's dead.
Lo, the beauteous nymph appears
Languishingly drown'd in tears!

(And here I cannot resist adding the super-snarky commentary of the Victorian writer above: "The lady-love who is the theme of the greater number of Catullus' amatory effusions is styled Lesbia, but her real name was Clodia, of whom nothing in praise could be said but that she possessed beauty and accomplishments.")

a dog turns the battle

2011-12-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

William of Orange, also known as William the Silent (1533-1584) founded the Dutch noble house of Orange-Nassau and spent most of his life enmeshed in the struggle for Dutch independence from their Spanish overlords. Over the course of William's life many tried to assassinate him to further the Spanish cause. On one notable occasion, during a 1572 counteroffensive campaign in France, William lay sleeping in his tent, but his dog Pompey heard someone approaching. Though he barked and scratched, Pompey couldn't rouse his master. Finally he jumped on his face, William awoke, and the would-be assassins were routed.
It's said that Pompey was a pug, and that this loyal act led to the House of Orange's fondness for pugs - a fondness that rolled over to the British royal family with William and Mary. However, William the Silent's tomb includes a sleeping dog at the feet of his reclining figure in honor of the good Pompey, and that dog does not look like a pug. Some older books refer to Pompey as a spaniel, which is what that dog resembles. It's more than possible Pompey was a Kooikerhondje, or "Duck decoy dog." The link takes you to an interesting article on this cute, petite breed. There's a photo of William's tomb; it's terrible, frankly, but I think you'll agree that's not a pug.

Interested in the twists and turns of William the Silent's life? Here's a Wikipedia page.

vintage photo time

2011-12-09T07:13:00.001-08:00

yet again &

Week of July 7, 1952. On a warm summer night . . .I miss summer. . . folks lift their cans in salute. And the family cat waits. Someone will drop a chicken leg sometime, he knows. Soon.

catching up for the holidays

2011-12-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

Hi Museum friends,
I wanted to take a moment and mention two nice things. First of all, remember Cider and Star? Carol honored me with my very own copy of that print and how I do enjoy it!
Also, our friends over at Freekibble have published a book of their very own this holiday season. Based on the real-life Mimi (and her pet Maty) behind Freekibble, the book is titled Mimi and Maty to the Rescue and was written by none other than Mimi's mom. Every copy sold means 5 meals for pets in need.
That's all for now but I reserve the right to update. Nice things happen all the time and I need to make sure they are celebrated.

feed the cat! some folk beliefs

2011-12-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Among other items in which the weather and the cat are associated, I may mention that there is in Germany a superstition that if it rains when women have a large wash on hand, it is an infallible sign of spite through the cat being ill-treated. Again there is a German belief that any one who, during his lifetime, may have made cats his enemies, is certain to be accompanied to the grave by storm and rain.
The Dutch have also attributed a rainy wedding-day to the bride's not feeding the cat. In the valleys of the Tyrol, girls who are fond of cats are said always to marry early—an evidence, as has been remarked, that household virtues are appreciated in them by the men.
***
From Domestic and fancy cats: a practical treatise on their varieties, breeding management, and diseases, by John Jennings (London and New York: 1901), p. 85.

cartoon: dog brain

2011-12-06T07:02:00.000-08:00

So this morning I get up and what do I see but the dog belly-up asleep. Not on his freshly-washed bed, oh no, but on the couch immediately next to it, and sawing logs with not a care in the world. That's why today's find made me laugh so hard. Though it's apparently now "vintage," being a Nickolodeon short from the early 90's - wait, wasn't that just yesterday? No.
Not a word is said in this cartoon. None needed.
Take a break and experience the nirvana of Dog Brain.

another little lamb, some time ago

2011-12-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

thanks wikimedia commons {{PD-1923}}

No sources so far are quite sure when Russian academician/society painter Vladimir Borovikovsky (1757-1825) created this "Portrait of Two Children with a Lamb." The page on Wikimedia Commons says "1800s?" Based on the flowing simplicity of their dresses, I think that's right. Don't you love their faces? These look like completely real children. Though they are well dressed, their snubby noses and big, heavy-lidded eyes could belong to any number of cuties I've met over the years. Their lamb seems to like them just fine, too - see, it's resting its head so lightly on the one girl's hand. Look at her other hand. She can't resist digging her fingers into that curly fleece, though probably she was asked to pet it with a flat palm. I understand. Every time I go to the state fair I can never keep my mitts off the sheep either.

This piece could hardly be anything but staged, yet Borovikovsky managed a natural, relaxed feel to the portrait. It makes me happy this morning. I hope it does the same for you.

vintage photo time

2011-12-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

from that fabulous bulk bin at ampersand

Now here's something I don't get much: a little lamb. Look, there's no fences, just rolling lawn and a few trees. Where does little lamb go when she goes home, I wonder?

some stories behind puss pub signs

2011-11-29T13:16:00.000-08:00

From an 1866 British history of popular sorts of signage:
* * *
The Cat And Lion, which we meet with sometimes, as at Stockport, was probably at one time the Tiger and Lion. It is occasionally accompanied by the following elegant distich:—
"The lion is strong, the cat is vicious, My ale is strong, and so is my liquors."
The Cat And Parrot was, in 1612, the sign of Thomas Pauer, a bookseller, dwelling near the Royal Exchange.
At Santry, near Dublin, and in some other places, we meet with the Cat And Cage, which is represented by a cat trying to pull a bird out of a cage; but its origin may be found in the Cat In The Basket, a favourite sign of the booths on the Thames when that river was frozen over in 1739-40. The sign was a living one, a basket hanging outside the booth, with a cat in it. It was revived when the river was again frozen in 1789, and seems to have had many imitators, for on a print representing a view of the river at Rotherithe during the frost, there is a booth with a merry company within, whose sign, inscribed the Original Cat In The Cage, represents poor Tabby in a basket.
This sign of the Cat in the Basket, or in the Cage, doubtless originated from the cruel game, once practised by our ancestors, of shooting at a cat in a basket. Brand, in his "Popular Superstitions," gives a quotation, from which it appears that a similar cruel sport was still practised at Kelso in 1789; but instead of shooting at the cat, it was placed in a barrel, the bottom of which had to be beaten out. The same game is still practised in Holland, and generally, if not always, on the ice (I'm sure they don't do this NOW - curator).
* * *
From The History of Signboards: from earliest history to the present day, Jacob Larwood and John Camden Hotten (London, 1866), p. 198. Want to see some current pub signs featuring cats? There is a treasure trove of them over at Purr-n-Fur UK. Enjoy!

a tale from old japan: the story of the faithful cat

2011-11-27T09:56:00.000-08:00

* * *
About sixty years ago, in the summer-time, a man went to pay a visit at a certain house at Osaka, and, in the course of conversation, said— "I have eaten some very extraordinary cakes to-day," and on being asked what he meant, he told the following story:

. . .I received the cakes from the relatives of a family who were celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the death of a cat that had belonged to their ancestors. When I asked the history of the affair, I was told that, in former days, a young girl of the family, when she was about sixteen years old, used always to be followed about by a tom-cat, who was reared in the house, so much so that the two were never separated for an instant. When her father perceived this, he was very angry, thinking that the tom-cat, forgetting the kindness with which he had been treated for years in the house, had fallen in love with his daughter, and intended to cast a spell upon her; so he determined that he must kill the beast.
As he was planning this in secret, the cat overheard him, and that night went to his pillow, and, assuming a human voice, said to him "You suspect me of being in love with your daughter; and although you might well be justified in so thinking, your suspicions are groundless. The fact is this: There is a very large old rat who has been living for many years in your granary.
Now it is this old rat who is in love with my young mistress, and this is why I dare not leave her side for a moment, for fear the old rat should carry her off. Therefore I pray you to dispel your suspicions. But as I, by myself, am no match for the rat, there is a famous cat, named Buchi, at the house of Mr. So-and-so, at Ajikawa: if you will borrow that cat, we will soon make an end of the old rat."
. . .The following day (the father) got up very early and went off to Ajikawa, to inquire for the house which the cat had indicated, and had no difficulty in finding it; so he called upon the master of the house, and told him what his own cat had said, and how he wished to borrow the cat Buchi for a little while.
. . .That night he put the two cats into the granary; and after a little while, a frightful clatter was heard, and then all was still again; so the people of the house opened the door, and crowded out to see what had happened; and there they beheld the two cats and the rat all locked together, and panting for breath; so they cut the throat of the rat, which was as big as either of the cats: then they attended to the two cats; but, although they gave them ginseng and other restoratives, they both got weaker and weaker, until at last they died. So the rat was thrown into the river; but the two cats were buried with all honours in a neighbouring temple.
* * *
From Tales of Old Japan, vol. 1, by Baron Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford Redesdale (whew - on the title page it's shortened to "A.B. Mitford")(London: Macmillan and Co., 1871), pp. 253-4.
Compare the valor of this cat to the following Japanese proverb: "Feed a dog for three days and he will remember your kindness for three years; feed a cat for three years and she will forget your kindness in three days."

happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:44:00.001-08:00

This year I am grateful that Veronica the Porch Kitty checked out well at the vet yesterday. That means she can have all the time she wants inside without fear that she will pass some illness on to Elizabeth. One of these days I'll get a snap of her, but black cats in November are very hard to get on film decently.
She spent the night inside with us, rolling and lolling on the bed with every evidence of bliss. Then at seven AM she asked politely to be let out and given food in her outside bowl, and - well where's she gone? I don't know. But her heat pack is out in her porch house, and I'm confident she'll turn up when dinner time rolls round.

Wishing you all a wonderful dinner and a warm, cozy Thanksgiving night!
with warmest thoughts,
curator

a 19th c elizabeth?

2011-11-23T12:22:00.001-08:00

thanks wikimedia commons {PD-US}

I stopped dead in my tracks when I stumbled across this image today. Elizabeth! What are you doing to that toddler!? But it's not her, of course - it's some other gorgeous, wilful creature just like her, painted by the German-American Confederate artist Nicola Marschall (1829-1917).

Marschall is primarily known now for designing the Confederate flag and the grey uniforms of the Confederate army. In his lifetime he was a prolific painter of religious themes, landscapes and portraits. Despite the importance of many names on his list of subjects, I find the paintings themselves to be a particular sort of 19th century sentimental that I never much liked. Except for this one. Yes, we have the dramatic red drapery and the unsurprising decorative urn of flowers (yawn), but the vitality and life of the two youngsters blows all that meaningless window dressing away. This painting is called "Young Girl with Cat," thought to be from 1867, and I'd love to know how and why this pair broke through Marschall's usual polite staging.

vintage photo time with guest curator

2011-11-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-D4-10865]

Public domain: published pre-1923

Today I bring you a special vintage photo: here's "Sheep in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY," taken sometime between 1900 and 1905. You will see the title is missing a mention of the collie sitting so alertly at his master's side, the better to fend off any . . . tourists? I wonder if this was taken in the Long Meadow -looks like it.

For this wonderful find I thank today's guest curator, John over at It's All Good, who has been a great blogfriend for years.

in case your pet speaks cornish

2011-11-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

You never know, perhaps your ki speaks that proud tongue, or maybe you should ask your kat if it's not too busy hunting a lygodzhan.
Ki = dog
Kat = you guessed that one
Lygodzhan = mouse

All stuff I dug up in the Archaeologia Cornu-Britannica: or, an essay to preserve the ancient Cornish language: containing the rudiments of that dialect in a cornish grammar and Cornish-English vocabulary. This was compiled by William Pryce, M.D. of Redruth, Cornwall, and printed by W. Cruttwell in 1790. Let's look at some more.

lygodzhan vrase = rat. Also logoden, mouse, field mouse, rat.
Tety Valy = by way of ridicule; tety valy bram angathe, tittle tattle, the wind of a cat.
gurkath = a he cat
koitgath = a wild cat
kei helfig = a hunting hound
kodna guidn = weasel (in the original it's spelled "weesel," which I like way better)
ula = an owl (I like owls)
marh = horse
guerhav an marhna = I will sell that horse
kryhiaz = to neigh like a horse
ky heer = greyhound
ky gwidn = white dog
avil bratkkeys aga ymo dense ylly thyskerny = like mastiff dogs their teeth on him they grind (that one was too wild to pass up)
gyst = bitch dog
grisla = to grin like a dog

Yn poynt da, meur ras (Well, thank you) for stopping by today!

portrait of rosco

2011-11-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

image provided courtesy of m. pendell wallace

J. Vivian Pendell of Spokane painted this watercolor of her granddaughter's cat Rosco (AKA Stinky Woo) in 1998. Rosco is a Pixie-bob, a big and short-tailed housecat variety developed in Washington State. The stately size of this fellow isn't an artistic interpretation, as you see from the photo below in which he compares and contrasts himself.

image also courtesy of m. pendell wallace

It's not every day we get the opportunity to match the subject up against the portrait here at the Museum. You appreciate now just how well she caught the inner Stinky Woo as well as the outer Rosco. And I'll say it again - watercolor is so tricky for that kind of thing.
Mrs. Pendell was 81 when she painted the year-old Rosco in 1998. She must have created a good longevity charm in there, for he's now 14. And here's wishes for many more, fluffy buddy.

vintage photo time

2011-11-15T17:51:00.001-08:00

all hail the bulk box at ampersand

This photo is obviously quite old, and the scan doesn't do it justice. When I hold it in my hand the image is crisp and immediate as if I could stroll right in there, but yet it's got that perfect sepia-nostalgia color. A lost long ago day with the dog at the shore, where the snow was finally retreating, for whatever reason was worthy to be snapped and leafed over through the years. Where might this be, I wonder.

when it's cold outside this will help

2011-11-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

The onset of a wet, dark Northwest winter leads me to something I rarely do: offer my latest best thing, which this time is the microwaveable SnuggleSafe heatpad. This is currently helping keep our black porch kitty warm while she thinks about moving into the house.
I agonized over buying this, because it's about $27 plus shipping, but it's taken a huge load off my mind. The SnuggleSafe is a thick pink plastic disk that you pop in the microwave for however many minutes depending on the voltage of your appliance - the packaging will tell you exactly. It comes with a fleece cover so you don't have to buy that extra.
Does it provide little porch kitties 12 solid toasty hours? Well, no, because it is cold outside and a lot of heat just poofs off into the chilly, chilly ether. But I can tell you for sure it is still warm after 5 hours in the wooden box we made for her. So if you have some critters that can stand some safe and dependable heat, try this.
Here's the link to get one through my affiliation with EntirelyPets.com.

a saucer of malke

2011-11-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

thanks wikimedia commons {{PD-US}}

Malke is Danish for milk (if the online translator hasn't fooled me), and though cats actually ought not to drink much of it, a lapping cat is always a pleasant sight. This is a work by the Danish artist Carl Holse (or Holsoe; 1863-1935). I was attracted to the calm serenity of the interior, and to the respect the woman shows to the cat. Clearly kitty likes its space when there is milk to be had, and like me, the woman is content to enjoy the sight. This interior seems to pop up repeatedly in Holsoe's work, as do solitary women in quiet pursuits - but you can read about that here.

four footed veterans

2011-11-11T07:05:00.000-08:00

This Veterans' Day I say thank you to our veterans and to everyone in our armed forces at present. In honor of those enlisted with four feet and a tail, I'd like to share with you this 2007 article from army.mil, "Military Working Dogs." It can be a sobering read, but it's a serious job and it's good to be mindful that we owe those canine soliders, too, so very much.
Did you know that the K-9 corps was formally established in WWII? Read another army.mil article about that here.

a fine yellow lab from lynn allison starun

2011-11-08T19:28:00.001-08:00

What a fine presence this Lab has. I find I think of Labradors as the family homestead of dogs: solid, warm, calm. A dog you can fall asleep with on the couch when nothing else seems to be predictable. Woodcuts are perfectly geared to such honest qualities. Artist Lynn Allison Starun captured this canine acquaintance in all her portly self-assurance using the Japanese method of Moku Hanga. Here's some more from her on her artistic journey, including a bit more on how this excellent portrait came to be.

* * *

I began as a portrait artist and almost immediately animals became part of my work when a subject who was seeing-impaired brought her guide dog to be included in the portrait. I chose not to focus on animal portraiture but I couldn't repress a desire to do more animals as I moved into printmaking. Birds first were a focus because I took bird watching in college and had to learn the different birds by sight. If you look closely you can see their personalities assert themselves so each little etching is a sort of portrait. (Curator: See lovely birds, chipmunks, and other creatures at her Etsy shop here.) I had a lot of fun stalking the birds in my yard to get reference photos. I discovered that if I sat in my car near the feeding area they would ignore me and I could get "candid" shots. I etched little plates and added tone with the aquatint process.

Of course, over the years I've sketched and painted various beloved pets, including a painting of a reclusive cat so that cat sitters would be able to see who they were feeding! (Curator: As a former professional pet sitter, I completely appreciate this effort!) She became bolder in her old age and I have a lovely etching of her striking a pose near the end of her life. My favorite work is of my English Cocker who has since died. She was the ultimate pet but not much of a watch dog. Well, if the thief knocked on the door she would certainly make a ruckus! She was so focused on food so I portrayed her eager pleading expression in "Please, Please…."

"please, please" also copyright and by kind permission of the artist

The yellow Laborador Retriever in the woodblock print was one I noticed with her owner. I was impressed with her runway model demeanor and walk and thought it might translate well as a woodblock print. To do that print I had to carve 5 different plates for the different color areas and of course each time I print the colors are a little different. I enjoy experimenting with color like that. It's printed Japanese woodblock style which means transparent pigment and rice paste are scrubbed together on the plate with special brushes and registration devices are carved into the plate so that each plate is lined up correctly. Paper is laid carefully on the plate and burnished with a baren.
* * *
Wouldn't it be interesting to watch Lynn make a woodblock print? I'm sure you will like her website, too.

in a kindly dog's memory

2011-11-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

His friends he loved. His fellest earthly foes—
Cats—I believe he did but feign to hate.
My hand will miss the insinuated nose,
Mine eyes the tail that wagg'd contempt at Fate.
-"An Epitaph," William Watson

From Praise of the Dog: An Anthology, Ethel E. Bicknell, ed. (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1902) p. 207. This book has a few pages at the very end headed, "To the Memory of Faithful Dogs," where blank columns offer you the chance to list "Name," "Born," "Died," and - this last column so wide it takes up its own page - "Virtues."

wind in your ears

2011-11-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

thanks wikimedia commons {PD}

Only a quickly-made drawing of a dog (same dog two times, by the look of it). Of course it was quick. Look at him! He wants to go! What's this leash on for if we're to sit around sketching and being sketched?

This is by the German artist Christian Rohlfs (1849-1938), who established a solid career as an Impressionist before befriending members of Die Brucke ("The Bridge"), one of the central Expressionist groups. Expressionism sought to share an individual perception or feeling, often with vivid colors or strong gestures and lines, the better to make immediate impact.

Rohlfs was already sixty when he shifted styles, and we don't know when exactly when this sketch was done. Nor does it matter. I can see the whole of the artist here: the ability to capture the immediacy of a dog with his ear fur blowin' in the wind, and the empathy and will to make me feel that fuzzy fellow's eagerness. I want to go for a walk now too.

vintage photo time

2011-11-01T18:32:00.001-07:00

by kindest courtesy of c. robertson

My friend Candace - who belongs to Daphne and Finnegan, the smart cats behind Smart Cat Furniture - found this photo of a relative and her little friend. All we know is what's written on the reverse:

"Miriam and Tige my kitten - 1916, Oakland Ore."
That IS a tiny kitten - let's do a cat-enhance. . .

Delightful.

Thank you so much for the share, Candace!

happy halloween!

2011-10-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

thanks wikimedia commons {PD-US-not renewed}

Though this is a magazine cover from January (1931), I think it's perfect for today - Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love how typically thirties-elegant this black cat looks even though it's supposed to be scary. Besides, look past the puffed-up fur and the arched back and you see it's only a skinny little kitty. Tonight we'll try to grab the black feral girl cat that adopted our porch and hide her inside in a dog crate till the holiday is over.

"Ghost Stories" was one of a number of pulp titles published by the magazine editor Harold Hersey, whose Wikipedia page begins by describing him as "a pulp editor and publisher, and published several volumes of poetry." Doesn't that sound dicey? But then you learn he worked with Margaret Sanger and corresponded with Ezra Pound, so he really did have fine talents. Publishing good pulp mags is a talent, too, I think.

Happy Halloween, my friends!

the dogs jumped over the artist

2011-10-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

thank you wikimedia commons {PD}

This is Polish artist Julian Falat's "Self-Portrait from Palette" (at least that's how it was translated). This is an oil on canvas, but Falat (1853 - 1929) was one of Poland's most prolific watercolorists and also a leading Impressionist. He accepted an invitation to become Emperor Wilhelm II's court painter in Berlin in 1886. I wonder if he was still doing that when he painted this ten years later; I don't know if he was, but this piece has a playful, lighthearted feel to it that I much doubt would fly at the Imperial court. Speaking of flying - who paints dogs seemingly soaring through the air? Julian Falat does, I guess, and it's magical to see. I wish that were my wall at home.

There's a Falat museum in his modest white villa in the town of Bielsko-Biala. You can read a little bit about it, and him, here.

vintage photo time

2011-10-24T12:52:00.001-07:00

thank you ampersand

(Is it just me or is Blogger behaving strangely lately? But anyway.)

I wish I had even the littlest clue about this one! I couldn't resist it - she's all neat and tidy and so proud of her horse. She even looks a little like her horse if you ask me, and I mean that in a good way for that's a fine looking creature.

meet carol delorenzo's cider and star

2011-10-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

image copyright and by kindest permission of carol delorenzo

San Luis Obispo artist Carol DeLorenzo worked in pastel and pencil for most of her life. Then, ten years ago, her husband gave her the Valentine's Day gift of a watercolor class, and you see here the sweet result: a portrait of her cats, dreamy and serene. Look at the orange and white cat's delicate pink nose, and the strong marbling of the gray tabby's fur. Well handled.

Carol wrote something specially for the Museum about this piece, and I'm so happy to share this treat with you!

* * *

Cider and Star: A Tale of Two Beloved Rescue Kitties

Cider and Star were the best of friends. They did everything together and were never far apart. Cider was an orange and white furry mini lion. Star was a sleek, silver mini tiger, with beautiful markings.
Snuggling on the sheepskin window seat was the best way to stay warm and enjoy the view…..kind of like being in and out at the same time…..without having to get your paws wet or brave the cold. Snuggled together, they were little heat generators, purring away until they fell asleep.

Just watching them warmed my soul on the coldest day, and inspired me to capture this kitty warmth in a painting.

My art is inspired by the beauty of nature and Spirit. It is about the connection we all share, and I believe The Universe sends it where it needs to go. I donate my art to various rescue groups for horses, felines, dogs, and ocean wildlife. Sharing my art is what makes it meaningful, and I hope to inspire and remind us that we are the caretakers of Mother Earth and all her beautiful creatures. I am honored to share my gallery with you at my Etsy shop.

* * *

And I am honored to introduce you to Carol's work. There's more fine cats at her Etsy site, so do have a look.

black cat hug

2011-10-20T18:45:00.001-07:00

thanks wikimedia commons (public domain)

This could not be a sweeter, gentler piece. It's by the Japanese artist Yumeji Takehisa (1884 - 1934), and titled "Kurofuneya." (I've also seen it called "The Mistress of Kurofuneya.") Takehisa was not traditionally schooled, choosing to go his own way with his approach and style. As a result, though he didn't achieve high professional recognition, his work was immensely popular in everyday life. There's a museum about him in his hometown of Okayama; the English version of its site is here, and I do hope you find it charming. I did. Now let us all find a black cat and hug it well.

the happy life of pigs in old new zealand

2011-10-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

A selection from a survey of natural history written in 1870. The "Captain King" referred to here would seem to be Captain Henry King, "first Commissioner of Taranaki" and an early white settler. Usually when a non-native species is introduced to a small ecological system disaster ensues (see rabbits, Australia); does anyone know whether the New Zealand pigs returned all this affection with good results for their new island home?

* * *
Perhaps the oddest amusement with which the New Zealanders have ever recreated themselves is one that only occurred some sixty years ago, and is not likely to be reproduced. About that date Captain King took away two New Zealanders to Norfolk Island for the purpose of teaching the settlers the art of flax-dressing.

When he came back to restore them to their homes, he planted a quantity of maize, which was then new in the country, and presented the natives with three pigs. Most of them had never seen any animal larger than a cat, and the others, who had a vague recollection of seeing horses on board Captain Cook's vessel, naturally mistook them for those animals. Thinking them to be horses, they treated them as horses, and speedily rode two of them to death. The third did not come to a better end, for it strayed into a burial ground, and was killed by the indignant natives.

Nowadays the Maories understand pigs far too well to ride them. Pigs have become quite an institution in New Zealand. Every village is plentifully populated with pigs...Little pigs may be seen tottering about the houses, and the natives, especially the women, pet pigs exactly as European women pet dogs and cats. They carry them in their arms, fondle and pet them; and nothing is more common than to see a young girl unfold her mantle and discover a pig nestling under its folds.

- From The natural history of man: being an account of the manners and customs of the uncivilized races of men(Argh! That title! - Curator), John George Wood (London: Georeg Routledge and Sons, 1870) Volume 2 p. 135-136

a romantic poet adopts "the zombi"

2011-10-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

English poet Robert Southey (1774-1843) accomplished a number of interesting things during his lifetime: he was Poet Laureate of England; he was the first to print the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears (seriously!); he wrote a biography of Lord Nelson that's still considered the standard; he was a good friend of fellow poets Coleridge and Robert Lovell, and took in their wives and children after Lovell died and Coleridge took a powder.
That's just the short list, so you can gather that this was a fellow with a generous and inquiring spirit. So you won't be surprised to learn that Southey really liked cats. And I'm thrilled to learn that he christened one of his feline family "The Zombi."
Which is another one on the list of Best Cat Names Ever.
He wrote a letter to his friend Grosvenor Bedford about acquiring and naming The Zombi; it's in his collected letters, and I'll give you a digest of it.
***
April 3 1821
Now to a more important subject. (He's just gotten word the King liked one of his recent pieces, but eh, moving on - Curator) You were duly apprised towards the end of the year of Othello's death. Since that lamented event this house was cat-less, till on Saturday, March 24., Mrs. Calvert, knowing how grievously we were annoyed by rats, offered me what she described as a fine full-grown black cat, who was moreover a tom. She gave him an excellent character in all points but one, which was that he was a most expert pigeon-catcher; and as they had a pigeon house, this propensity rendered it necessary to pass sentence upon him either of transportation or of death. Moved by compassion (his colour and his tomship also being taken into consideration), I consented to give him an asylum, and on the evening of that day here he came in a sack. . . .When the sack was opened, the kitchen door, which leads into the passage, was open also, and the cat disappeared . . .Food, therefore, was placed where he would be likely to find it in the night; and at the unanimous desire of the children, I took upon myself the charge of providing him with a name, for it is not proper that a cat should remain without one. Taking into consideration his complexion, as well as his sex . . .it presently occurred to me that the Zombi would be an appellation equally appropriate and more dignified. The Zombi, therefore, he was named.
* * *
The Zombi promptly showed his gratitude by hiding in the basement and screaming his head off in the wee hours of Sunday morning, for no reason anyone in the house could figure out, upon which Southey closes his letter with the questions:
* * *
1. Had he seen the devil?
2. Was he making love to himself?
3. Was he engaged in single combat with himself?
4. Was he attempting to raise the devil by invocation?
5. Had he heard me sing, and was he attempting (vainly) to imitate it?
These queries, you will perceive, all proceed upon the supposition that it was the Zombi who made the noise. But I have further to ask,—
6. Was it the devil?
7. Was it Jeffery ? (an unhappy imp, apparently - Curator)
8. Were either of these personages tormenting the Zombi?
I have only to add that from that time to this he continues in the same obstinate retirement, and to assure you that I remain, Mr. Bedford,
With the highest consideration, Yours as ever,
Robert Southey.

Southey never did find out!

curator says hi

2011-10-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Just a note to say I'm still getting better from a bad back, and that's why I haven't been posting as much. But I miss everyone and plan to have a post within the next 24 hours. See you soon!

vintage photo time

2011-10-11T12:54:00.001-07:00

somewhere in fremont

"Bumps and Mickey." That is all.

spain, 1650's: boy, dog, fleas

2011-10-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

thanks wikimedia {PD-Art}

Pedro Nuñez de Villavicencio (1635-1700) was a student of the great Spanish painter Murillo, and this intimate work shows that he had some of his master's feel for the telling, humble detail. This is all the more wonderful to me since I learned that he actually came from an aristocratic family in Seville and meant when young to go into the military. I would imagine that he would have had next to no experience of ordinary and poorer folk, so he had to have sought them out. Or perhaps Seville at the time was just one of those cities where all people high and low happened to mix, like New York now.

What a funny face on that dog. . . is he enjoying that? Kind of?

briar in the fall

2011-10-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

You hardly ever get a look at Briar here at the Museum. And that's not fair, so here's Briar doing one of the things he loves best*: upland bird hunting in eastern Washington state. This is his "I know we've been out all day but I don't wanna go back in the truck" face.

*other things: putting Elizabeth's head in his mouth; lying around belly up on the couch; collecting chewy hooves; going after that wily squirrel in the backyard; pointing finches

about cats: this is so unfair

2011-10-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

It can not be denied that cats, generally speaking, are proud in their disposition, refusing to associate with strangers, repudiating familiarity, and daintily turning up their noses at common food, such as dogs would be glad to get. There is a chilling haughtiness about them, even to persons they have known for years, exceedingly repulsive, and often disgusting.
You play with them, you fondle them, you stroke their backs, and scratch their heads, and call them, Poor Pussy; but beware! They will arch their backs, and purr, and appear to respond to your kindness; but a hair turned the wrong way, a careless knock, or even a mere caprice on the part of the cat, and all is over. She becomes a fury, a fiend. Prompt as the stiletto of an Italian brigand to quit its sheath, her steel-like claws come forth from their velvet sheaths, and draw your blood in an instant.
It is pretty to see the little kitten lapping its milk with its rosy tongue, gamboling round its mother, playing with the ball of worsted, with now and then a gesture of affection to its parent, and never presenting an outline that is not extremely graceful. But this little innocent babe, this sportive, playful kitten, will in a few weeks play with as much delight—nay, more—with something very different from a skein of silk or a slipper.
The plaything now is a wretched, terrified mouse, half dead with fright, and covered with bleeding wounds; hither and thither will the cat toss it; now high, now low, now this way, now that; one moment deluding it with the hope of escape, and at the next recapturing it to renew the torture. This is the playfulness of the cat, this is its graceful sportiveness; this is the ball of cotton to-day, and the timorous, cruelly entreated mouse to-morrow.
* * *
What!? I'm appalled, I tell you!
This is from Harper's Magazine (New York: Harper & Bros), vol. 40 March 1870 p. 486. and I don't like it but it is an interesting look at another viewpoint. which is a wrong viewpoint.

a writer's cat: tascha

2011-10-04T13:01:00.001-07:00

image by kindest permission of the artist

We have delighted in Tascha before here at The Pet Museum. Here's one of hers that is keeping my writing spirits up even on the toughest days. It's "Blue Typewriter Art Writer Girl with Black Cat," a print from its original acrylic on canvas, dated 2010.

Here's Tascha herself to say a little something:
I am a big time animal lover with a particular fondness for cats. I have one siamese cat named Lily. I grew up with cats my whole life. As an only child the cats were my brothers and sisters. As an adult with no kids, the cats have been my children.

I used to have a portable typewriter that very color. But even these days when I am either keyboarding away or wiggling my favorite black pen in the air, Elizabeth comes to watch. To cheer me on? To tell me it's time to feed her? It simply makes me happy that she's there - and Tascha understands what that feels like.

pointing to pinkham's painterly portraits

2011-10-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to send you right over to the blog Pawesome. They've recently written a post on "The Painterly Pet Portraits of Andrew Pinkham," and anything I say will be overkill. But I can't help but tell you they are majestic, mysterious, and grand. Go on and look!

a cheerful giver

2011-10-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

thanks again wikimedia commons (PD-Art)

i love that hat

Hold it, kid! Don't give the dog that cake, it's about as big as he is! No, wait, stop - you're not going to listen, are you?

No. No, he isn't. This is the Dutch painter Jacob Willemsz. Delff's "Portrait of a Boy, Aged Two" (1581) and as we all know, toddlers are not really ace at listening. They are however great at testing you with this exact look on their faces. This beguiling, behatted fellow has an equally cute partner in crime, a pup with a collar almost too fancy for his delicate frame. I can't tell if those are bells on the collar - I hope not; the din would be obnoxious, not least for him.

Why does this little boy hold a basket of fruit? When you're looking at a Dutch painting of this time, you know at least one of the accessories has got to be there for some reason, a secret message if you will. The guess I have right now has to do with the pears on top. Pears have been used in Christian art as a symbol of Christ's love for mankind, which was a good protective charm for a child in a century where young ones died far too often. At the same time, Delff would have been mindful of Christ as the ultimate giver of good things, and I do wonder if he's been daringly tongue-in-cheek having the boy offer his buddy a cake of bread.

This is an image full of liveliness, hope, good wishes, and not least a celebration of the age-old complicity between kids and dogs. Some things just don't change, and yay for that.

thomas huxley defends a scratchy kitten

2011-09-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

The English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley (1825 - 1895) was a kind and affectionate father to a degree rare at that time and place. Letters from him to his children survive which are funny and speak to them as equals. That's easily seen in this one to his youngest daughter (Ethel), in which he calls on her support in championing a kitten that ran afoul of some nice drapes:
* * *
I wish you would write seriously to M. She is not behaving well to Oliver. I have seen handsomer kittens, but few more lively and energetically destructive. Just now he scratched away at something that M says cost 13s. 6d. a yard, and reduced more or less of it to combings.
M therefore excludes him from the diningroom, and from all those opportunities of higher education which he would naturally have in my house.
I have argued that it is as immoral to place 13s. 6d. a yardnesses within reach of kittens as to hang bracelets and diamond rings in the front garden. But in vain. Oliver is banished, and the protector (not Oliver) is sat upon. In truth and justice aid your Pa.

-- From The cat: being a record of the endearments and invectives lavished by many writers upon an animal much loved and much abhorred, Agnes Repplier, ed. (New York: Sturgis & Walton, 1912) p, 113.

vintage photo time

2011-09-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

again i thank you ampersand

"April '62, Hattie Marie."

"less adoptable pet week" - kandu can do

2011-09-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Have you seen Kandu yet? Perhaps not - he's busy racing about in the yard, or chasing toys, or skiing down the hill in his yard.
Which is a super-spiffy trick for a little dog born without his front two legs. See a wonderful story on Kandu here. I dare you not to smile!

"less adoptable pet week" - dogs as true brothers, 1858

2011-09-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

"Parsee" is an older term for practicioners of the Zoroastrian religion hailing from India. We've seen before how important is the dog to Zoroastrians, and here is another kindly proof of it from a Knickerbocker magazine article of 1858.

* * *
My Parsee neighbor was an exalted humanitarian in a canine direction, regarding dogs as his friends and brothers, and piously according them (in undue proportion, on the score of justice to cats) a fellow-feeling that made him wondrous kind.
. . .When his operations on land and his ventures by sea, his Bombay brokerages and his Surat ship-yard, should have returned him a fair Parsee fortune, and established him on a financial footing with the princely traders of his tribe, it was his fond intention to found a hospital for the indigent sick of that great quadrupedal community, whereat halt dogs and dogs that were blind, mangy dogs and dogs stricken with confirmed asthma, dogs that had lost their tails by traps, their toes by coach-wheels, dogs whose minds had been impaired by affliction, as well as those whose bodies had suffered in fights — disabled dog-kind generally, whatever the nature or degree of its melancholy dispensation, should be free to the consolations of splints and bandages, soothing poultices and 'potecary's stuff, with wholesome bones in abundance, and the sweetest of straw beds.
So should my Parsee neighbor fulfil a particular injunction of Zoroaster, and make sure for his soul that it should be spoken for in the day when enfranchised Dog should speak for itself.

-- "My Parsi Neighbor," author unknown, The Knickerbocker (New York: 1858) vol. 52, p. 603.

"less adoptable"? this cat was a winner

2011-09-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

In honor of "Less Adoptable Pet Week," I'd like to trot out no less a personage than the famed cat show judge Harrison Weir, writing in 1889 of a traditional cat race:

. . .But the most curious thing is cat-racing, which takes place, according to an engraving, in the public thoroughfare, the cats being turned loose at a given time. It is thus described: "Cat-racing is a sport which stands high in popular favour. In one of the suburbs of Liege it is an affair of annual observance during carnival time. Numerous individuals of the feline tribe are collected, each having round his neck a collar with a seal attached to it, precisely like those of the carrier-pigeons. The cats are tied up in sacks, and as soon as the clock strikes the solemn hour of midnight the sacks are unfastened, the cats let loose, and the race begins. The winner is the cat which first reaches home, and the prize awarded to its owner is sometimes a ham, sometimes a silver spoon. On the occasion of the last competition the prize was won by a blind cat. (Emphasis mine - Curator)

"Cat-Racing in Belgium," from Our cats and all about them: their varieties, habits, and management (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin and Co., 1889), p.218.

it's "less adoptable pet week"!

2011-09-20T07:27:00.001-07:00

Oh! What a pity there should ever be such a phrase as "less adoptable pet." But let's help Petfinder.com wipe out that string of words. Right now I have the ad up to the right, but do take a moment to go look at Petfinder's gallery - you might find your next best friend.

September 17 - 25: Less Adoptable Pet Week.

one puppy to another

2011-09-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a great deal of Jane Austen lately. Right now I'm on Emma, in which a character tends to refer to impudent young studs as "puppies." When I ran across this today I couldn't help turn it around and offer it to you all.

* * *
THE TWO PUPPIES.
LINE ON A DOG'S COLLAR, EXAMINED BY A FASHIONABLE DANDY.

Steal me not! myself and collar
Both are barely worth a dollar:
Puppies should befriend each other;
See me home, then, dearest brother!

-- from The Knickerbocker (New York: 1839) vol. 14, p. 106.

cats: a good investment

2011-09-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Sir W. Gore Ouseley quotes the following from a Persian MS.
In the tenth century one Keis, the son of a poor widow of Siraf, embarked for India with his sole property, a cat. There he fortunately arrived at a time when the palace was so infested by rats and mice that they invaded the king's food, and persons were employed to drive them from the royal banquet. Keis produced his cat; the noxious animals soon disappeared, and magnificent rewards were bestowed on the adventurer of Siraf, who returned to that city, and afterwards, with his mother and brothers, settled in the island which, from him, has been named 'Keis,'or according to the Persians, 'Keish'.
* * *
I believe they are speaking of this island. The story is one I found in The Living Age, Eliakim Littell, Robert S. Littell, editors for the Making of America Project (1848: The Living Age Co. Inc ), vol. 18, p. 248.

vintage photo time

2011-09-16T12:26:00.001-07:00

bought somewhere in fremont

All I know is what's written on the back: "Judy, May 1946."

some cat sayings from way back

2011-09-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

I hadn't heard these!
* * *
Cat Music, Cats' Melody, Cat Singing, discordant yowlings without words or tune.
Who Ate The Cat? meaning, who did something he is ashamed to tell? A gentleman whose larder was constantly robbed had a cat cooked and placed conveniently on a shelf. It was stolen by some one, and probably eaten. He then went around asking, " Who ate the cat?" Of course nobody would ever own up to eating a cat. (Aieee! - Curator)
To Live Under The Cat's-Foot. To live like a mouse the cat has caught. Hence to live by sufferance with some one who is strong or cruel enough to crush one at any moment.

-- from Cat stories: retold from St. Nicholas edited by Marion Hamilton Carter (The Century Company, 1904), pp. 184-6.

poem for a black cat

2011-09-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

illustration in public domain, a. thomson

Half loving-kindliness, and half disdain,
Thou comest to my call serenely suave,
With humming speech and gracious gestures grave,
In salutation courtly and urbane:

Yet must I humble me thy grace to gain —
For wiles may win thee, but no arts enslave,
And nowhere gladly thou abidest save
Where naught disturbs the concord of thy reign.

Sphinx of my quiet hearth! who deignst to dwell
Friend of my toil, companion of mine ease,
Thine is the lore of Ra and Rameses;
That men forget dost thou remember well,
Beholden still in blinking reveries,
With sombre sea-green gaze inscrutable.

Graham R. Tomson, "To a Black Cat (Le Chat Noir)". From Concerning Cats: A Book of Poems by Many Authors, Rosamond Marriott Watson, Graham R. Tomson, ed., Arthur Thomson, illus. (New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1892) pp. 76-77.

This is a typically mannered, kind of talky late 19th-century American poem, but I do like the last four lines. I've often felt as I gazed into my cats' eyes that they contain some old mystery; it's sheer foolishness, they don't, but it's a fun fantasy.

my 9/11 post

2011-09-11T10:11:00.001-07:00

thanks wikimedia commons {PD-US}

If you traveled to the Ducal Palace in Mantua, Italy, you'd probably head for the famous Camera degli Sposi ("Bridal chamber"). Andrea Mantegna painted this room with frescoes during the years 1465 - 1474. There is a lot to see there. You couldn't be blamed if you miss this laid-back fellow: he's parked under Ludovico Gonzaga's chair, at the left of the "Court Scene". I find it touching that even as powerful a man as Gonzaga approved the portayal of his dog, happy, sleepy, and on a dog bed quite as luxuriant as the cushions on the Duke's own seat.

For the record, I haven't been to Mantua yet to see this myself. And what's this all got to do with 9/11? You see, my husband and I were in Italy when 9/11 happened. For days we sat watching commentary in a language we couldn't follow. We had no idea how or when we would get home, or how bad it might really get. What we did know was that the Italian people were friends to Americans, and that we were safe there. We know this because everywhere we went they told us so. The outpouring of Italian support for the American people was immediate and sincere: the two countries have been tight for generations - I'm part Italian myself, courtesy of a great-grandpa.

So when I came to talk about 9/11 today, I spotted this detail from one of Italy's thousands of masterworks, and it encapsulated everything I remember about our hosts at that terrible time. The machinations of the world swirled around us, but we were kept sheltered and safe, in a culture of beauty and thoughtfulness.

We came home to a changed world, but my gratitude to the Italian people has never changed.

of the terrier

2011-09-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

John Caius (or Keyes, if his name were Anglicized) in 1576, in the course of detailing the many manner of English dogs:

Of the Dogge called Terrar, in Latine Terrarius.
Another sorte there is which hunteth the Foxe and the Badger or Greye onely, whom we call Terrars, because they (after the manner and custome of ferrets in searching for Connyes [rabbits]) creepe into the grounde, and by that meanes make afrayde, nyppe, and byte the Foxe and the Badger in such sort, that eyther they teare them in pieces with theyr teeth being in the bosome of the earth, or else hayle and pull them perforce out of their lurking angles, darke dongeons, and close caves, or at the least through conceved (?) feare, drive them out of their hollow harbours, in so much that they are compelled to prepare speedy flight, and being desirous of the next (albeit not the safest) refuge, are otherwise taken and intrapped with snares and nettes layde over holes to the same purpose.

Of Englishe dogges, the diversities, the names, the natures and the properties: a short treatise written in Latine and newly drawne into Englishe, John Caius (Reprinted from the original by M. G. Denlinger, 1576), p. 4. I'm fascinated by the phrase "make afrayde, nyppe, and byte." I think I have to get that into a conversation at work somehow.

for baby goat fans!

2011-09-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

thanks wikimedia commons: {PD-Germany}

This charming German stamp dates from 1963, and illustrates a scene from the Grimm story The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids. So far I can only identify the artist as the stamp designer Bornsen, but I am sure you'll enjoy looking at some of his other stamps. I surely did.

"the sagacity of the cat"

2011-09-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

You see it is just like this—when you once get a cat to love you, you, and you only, will become the study of her whole life. She soon finds out what pleases you, and what vexes you, and also what you love, and, whether that be dog or child, she will love it too, to please you.
Cats will often, very often—just like dogs—lead those they love to places where something or some creature is in danger. It may be, as happened to myself once, while residing in Lincoln, two summers ago, when a cat came towards me out of an entry, and, as plain as any animal could speak, gazed up into my face, and cried: "Come, oh come and help me!" I followed, and she led me down the garden to a closet, through which her kitten had dropped into the cesspool below. Now just think for one moment of the amount of sagacity shown in this case! Piteously the little kit had mewed to her mother: "Mother, mother, come and help me!" Pussy's answer had been: "My dear, I can't, but I'll soon find those who will." And that was precisely my answer to the mother cat, when I saw the state of affairs, and I kept my word. . .
Some will hardly credit this, because they do not see the working of the internal machine— pussy's mind—nor know the motive power—love, love, love. Amor vincit omnia (love conquers all - Curator).

from The Domestic Cat, William Gordon Stables (G. Routledge and Sons, 1876) p. 106-7. He actually fished a kitten out of a cesspool! Bless his heart!

let's go for a ride, 1897

2011-09-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

thanks wikimedia commons {PD-US}

I wouldn't have given this piece a second look if it hadn't been for the dog. This is Julius LeBlanc Stewart's Les Dames Goldsmith au bois de Boulogne en 1897 sur une voiturette (also translated as The Goldsmith Ladies in a Peugeot), painted in 1901. Stewart's father, a Philadelphia sugar millionaire, moved the family to Paris when his son was ten, and Stewart grew up to become a painter of his high-society friends. As you may expect, they're calm, well-manicured pieces.

That's precisely why I loved this dog: no class restraint for him, oh no, it's time to go for a ride in the car and feel the wind (well, the slight breeze - likely they're going about 8 mph) in his ears.

vintage photo time

2011-09-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

i think j mcdermott gave me this one

Mother with current beau, Sam says the note in red felt pen on the back, and continues the list:

Lottie in center

Effie on left

Katherine on right

And let us not leave out. . .

"Bob" - mother's dog

one cat, six views

2011-09-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

thanks wikimedia commons {PD-Art}

Six studies of a cat circa 1765-1770, by the great British artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788). Can you believe this is done in chalk on paper? I feel as though I could reach out and run my fingers through that stripy fur, maybe tweak those ears. But that doesn't surprise me. Gainsborough was as an artist sensitive to the natures of the creatures around him, whether they were fine ladies or a humble kitty napping on his floor.

"carlo and his little mistress," an improving tale

2011-08-31T06:49:00.000-07:00

Edith had a fine dog, named Carlo. One holiday, Mary Wilson and Jane Smith, two of her schoolfellows, came to spend the afternoon with her. They had a merry time in the orchard, and Carlo was as playful as any of the party.
"Oh, Edith," said Mary Wilson, "Carlo likes me and Jane Smith as much as you!"
"No! no!" said Edith, "he likes his mistress best. Just test him, by pretending to flog me." -
Immediately poor Carlo was in great distress, and rushing upon his little mistress, he pushed her down on the grass, and tried to protect her by covering her as much as possible with his body.
Faithful little Carlo, thou art a " friend in need."

-- from Our Children's Pets, by "Josephine" (London: S.W. Partridge, 1865) pp. 152-53. This is one of those "improving" books for children typical of the era, filled with religious thoughts and exhortations. I liked this one, though, because "Josephine" spares no opportunity to point out what a Christian duty it is to love all animals and treat them with mercy and tenderness. No one belief system corners the market on such a good thing, but wouldn't it be nice if little kids learned things like that today?

how cats got to england: first time i've heard this one

2011-08-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

Cats are believed to have been brought first into England from Cyprus by merchants who came to Cornwall for tin. It is generally supposed that the name is Teutonic. If so, it is a curious coincidence that the modern Persian name for cat is catio.

-- from Words, facts, and phrases; a dictionary of curious, quaint, and out-of-the-way matters, Eliezer Edwards (Chatto & Windus, 1882), p. 104. I have been trying to find any other reference to this theory, which is totally new to me. So far, nothing. Anyone else ever heard this one?

two beauties, one a puppy

2011-08-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

and thanks again Wikimedia Commons {PD-Art}

Yet again I'm giving in to my partiality for Italian Mannerism - but can you blame me? This is "Portrait of a Lady in Red" (1532-33) by the Mannerist, Jacopo Pontormo. I'm sure the reproduction doesn't do it full justice; it's oil on panel, and probably more richly colored in reality, but I like the dry, cool dignity of this image.

What I really like is that miniscule spaniel. (Why do spaniels have that mild melancholy in their eyes?) Each curl of his fur has been picked out as though carved, yet Pontormo has still given him the perfect soft, sweet baby face. Without him this woman might be impossible to approach, but with him she seems relaxed and serene. That's spaniels for you.

delicious fish

2011-08-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

thanks wikimedia commons {public domain}

They'll never notice if he takes just one fish. . . Maybe two. Pieter van Boucle (French, circa 1610 - 1673) has presented such a bounty of finned treats that you probably took a minute to realize there's a hungry, intent interloper off to the left there. Van Boucle's painting has all the details and abundance of the Dutch-style stilllifes popular in his time, but he mixes in a detail that's not only very much alive but sympathetic.

That cat reminds me of the new buddies that have popped up on my porch lately this summer. Some just want a kind word and a place to roll around. Some slink up with a guarded hope from stage left, too skinny not to get a little kibble. Elizabeth will never miss a handful. Maybe two.

a lost girl with her found kitten

2011-08-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

"I didn't know where she had come from, and I didn't get her name, but there was something about that face - the hopefulness, positivity and openness to life - it was the new face of Britain."
So spoke the American documentary photographer Bruce Davidson in 2007 for a Guardian UK article series, "My Best Shot." His best shot had been taken 47 years earlier on a dark street in London, where he briefly befriended a group of youths. Among them was a slim blonde girl with apparently nothing to her name but a bedroll and a kitten, but it must have been enough. Read the article here. (The photo is included, and well worth the viewing.)
The kitten is long gone by any reckoning, but the girl - where is she now? As Davidson told PRI's "The World" recently in a radio interview, he'd like very much to know.

this dog is "a little confused"

2011-08-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

This greyhound, with its Modigliani-like elongation, is "A Little Confused," the creation of Surrey (UK) artist Elle J. Wilson. You should go to her Etsy shop and see lots more of her work. I was attracted to the way she often chooses to mix long elegant lines with obvious humor and personality - which, if you know greyhounds, that's them. (The ones I know, anyway.) But I should let Elle speak for herself:
* * *
The majority of my artwork is based around the Sighthound Group of dogs. Greyhounds, Borzoi, Italian Greyhounds, Saluki etc.
My life and illustrations of dogs seem to intertwine with each other. On many occasions the titles I choose for my pieces have something to do with the way I am feeling on that particular day or what seems to be happening in my life. I guess I could write a book on the stories behind the names I give my paintings.
I really like my pieces to contain some kind of emotion, whether it be silly, sad, happy, grumpy; and in particular when I work on a private commission, I may spend hours just looking at the photographs a customer sends me. I feel like I need the photo to "talk" to me. I want to feel a connection with the dog itself, and then it's like the photo will tell me when it wants to be painted. Some pieces I am almost sad to send off, never to be seen again in the flesh. But... if I know that what I paint is making someone happy, then what else could I ask for.
* * *
She made me happy! Great greyhound, Elle.

vintage photo time

2011-08-18T17:34:00.001-07:00

gift of j mcdermott xox

"Florence Marie and cousin," reads the note - written in kelly-green felt pen - on the back of this snap. Pretty sure they're talking about the girls.

a newfoundland teaches a lesson

2011-08-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

Dr. Abell, in one of his lectures on phrenology, related a very striking anecdote of a Newfoundland dog at Cork. This dog was of a noble and generous disposition, and when he left his master's house was often assailed by a number of little noisy dogs in the street. He usually passed them with apparent unconcern, as if they were beneath his notice.
One little cur, however, was particularly troublesome, and at length carried his petulance so far as to bite the Newfoundland dog in the back of his foot. This was too much to be patiently endured. He instantly turned round, ran after the offender, and seized him by the skin of his back. In this way he carried him in his mouth to the quay, and holding him some time over the water, at length dropped him into it.
He did not seem, however, to wish to punish the culprit too much, for he waited a little while the poor animal, who was unused to that element, was not only well ducked, but near sinking, when he plunged in himself, and brought the other safe to land.

-- Also from Edward Jesse, Anecdotes of Dogs; pp. 156-7.

a terrier saves a nice cat for later, 1850's

2011-08-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

A neighbour of mine has a terrier which has shown many odd peculiarities in his habits. He has contracted a great friendship for a white cat, and evinced his affection for it the other day in a curious manner. The dog was observed to scratch a large deep hole in the garden. When he had finished it he sought out the cat, dragged her by the neck to the hole, endeavoured to place her in it, and to cover her with the soil. The cat, not liking this proceeding, at last made her escape.
-- from Anecdotes of Dogs, Edward Jesse (London: Henry G. Bohn, York Street, Covent Garden, 1858), p. 83

a jack russell on the beach

2011-08-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

"beach dog" copyright and by kindest permission of clair hartmann

Clair Hartmann loves dogs. You understand that within seconds of visiting her Etsy shop and her website. Her dog portraits are immediate, up close and colorful, full of character and personality.

So why did I choose this work: "Beach Dog"?

I chose it in the total conviction that she captures a little dog's soul. See how alertly, yet easily he rests on the shore and gazes out to forever. He doesn't know there's another land far away, but he's fine with that. He just trusts in the moment, as dogs do, and we don't do enough. I felt as though I had done a short but satisfying Zen meditation after looking upon this work for a few moments.

a cat naps in estonia

2011-08-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

thanks wikimedia. {{PD:US}} public domain

There was one pinpoint of sun that October day in 1908, and the cat found it. Then Paul Raud (Estonian; 1865-1930) decided to take up his brush and keep that moment for himself. Raud's influences ranged from 17th-century Dutch portaits to German Impressionism, and he spent a fair amount of his career doing traditional portraits for patrons. In this piece, the background's reduced to a gesture in autumn sepia. The serious brushwork is all about the cat: those stripes! Those perfectly articulated ears! No Dutch merchant could ask for more attention in his own portrait.

Curious about Paul Raud? Me too, but I am at a loss since I don't read Estonian. Here is a little info I have found.

1523: a tender, watchful rabbit

2011-08-05T06:51:00.001-07:00

thanks again wikimedia commons: {{PD-US}} (public domain)

This beautiful creature is a detail from a work of about 1523 by the Italian Mannerist Parmigianino. The original painting portrays the Circumcision of Christ; you can see it at the Detroit Institute of Arts. As Mannerist paintings do, it has dramatic lighting, swirling motion and color, and lots of bright drapery played off against pearly white flesh. I rather like Mannerism, myself, for the sheer visual entertainment value. But this rabbit provides one quiet spot in the composition with its little ears all pushed back and its frightened eye. I want to pick it up and hide it from the fray.

Why is that rabbit there? I had to refresh myself on the possible meanings, and in the process came across what must be the best article I have ever read on rabbit symbolism in art. There I was reminded that people once believed female rabbits could conceive and give birth without male rabbits to help, and that the gentle rabbit also stood for unquestioning faith. Aha. The article is by Terri Windling, and it's a most interesting and pleasant read. (The part to which I referred is toward bottom of page 2.)

a cautionary tale, or is it tail?

2011-08-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

Now here's something I've wanted to share with you all for a while, but only today did I find a clip of it that I liked: Garrison Keillor sings a jaunty song of a cat who finds out high living isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Cat, you better come on home.

vintage photo time

2011-08-02T15:03:00.001-07:00

ampersand i love you

Nothing known about this snap. It looks early 60s to me, probably because my own family had so many photos of this sort: yay, we're all together squinting into the sun! Good times! Hey, we love our kitty so much we put it dead center of the shot!

. . . Wait, so what's that cat doing with all this attention?

. . . Eating.

Cats: Pragmatism in action.

there's a dog in this portrait. really

2011-07-30T09:15:00.001-07:00

thanks again wikimedia commons

This is Anastasia Ivanovna, Countess of Hesse-Homburg, Princess Trubetskaya, and she needs to stop posing and pick up her dog. Do you see it? It's a tiny brown mop down by her feet. Maybe it's a fluffy chihuahua (there apparently were a few to be found in Europe then). What else would be that miniscule and furry?

Alexander Roslin (Swiss, 1718 - 1793) a painter of highly formal aristocratic portraits, executed this in 1757. Which I feel neatly solves the question of why he didn't have her cuddle the dog: She died in 1755. It's a posthumous portrait. There must have been miniatures or sketches of her somewhere for reference, but what a job. No wonder there's so much attention paid to the dress.

Why didn't anyone get around to painting her earlier, I wonder? She was the second wife of the Prince of Moldavia, Dimitrie Cantemir, though not for very long - he died in 1723. Her brother Ivan Betskoy was Catherine II's national education advisor. Not much else at all is known about her.

1961: you're gonna be a star

2011-07-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

The lovely gang over at Everycat - our dear late Whicky Whuudler's home on the web - sent me a link to share. It's a BoingBoing post about Hollywood auditions for black cats,and it links to gobs of photos.
There's human celebs in there - Vincent Price, Peter Lorre - but it's all about that sexy sable star power, you better believe. Here you go (click on the words "Audition for a Black Cat").

here's a new take on vintage photo time

2011-07-26T13:11:00.001-07:00

by permission of owner j mcdermott

No title or date on this hilarious vintage postcard, just the info: "Edition Max Kuntzli, Zurich 6."

an evening cat

2011-07-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

thanks wikimedia commons PD:US (public domain)

"Die Katze Abendfrieden," Hans Thoma titled this etching in 1901: "Cat's peaceful evening." Thoma (German; 1839-1924) turned for inspiration to his home area in the Black Forest and local, closely observed details of nature. Stylistically he is supposed to have more in common with earlier German masters such as Cranach than with the movements of his own time. I haven't seen enough of his work to compare. Me, I just like the intimacy and warmth of this piece.

stop looking at me! what do you want?

2011-07-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

not a great reproduction but thanks anyway wikimedia commons

Yes, this is not the crispest reproduction of Paul Gauguin's "Still Life with Cats" (1899), but I kept coming back to it today. Now what was so compelling? Was it the pleasant, chunky, Primitivist forms of the vase and the sleeping cat? Or the profusion of flowers? By the way, isn't that bouquet oddly delicate against everything else going on in here? But that wasn't it, and that wasn't it.

I know.

That cat in back with the thousand-yard stare. Where have I seen that before? Oh, wait, it's boring into the back of my head right now.

If you've never read much about Gauguin, Wikipedia isn't a bad place to start: here he is. This link has hundreds of good-quality images. I don't think I would have personally liked him much, but I do enjoy his work on an immediate level despite myself.