pouting with a cat: the only way

thanks wikimedia.org (PD)

Here's realist painter Ivan Kramskoy (Russian; 1837-1887), portraying a "Girl with a Cat" in 1882.  I must say, when I want to have a good pout I do appreciate a cat and a luxurious setting.  This work is so technically perfect that I still find myself surprised at how it manages to pull me in at a strong personal level as well.  Is she really in a funk?  She certainly looks like it. Is she well-off and that's why she has all those gorgeous shawls?  Is this a formal studio portrait? No, can't be; too intimate.  You can't get a cat to go to sleep like that simply for the composition of the thing.
Kramskoy was a leader of the Russian democratic art movement, and known for the emotional insight he could evoke in his portrayals, particularly those of peasant folk.