vintage photo time: mwah

thanks shop in grass valley

March 1958: an inter-species smooch session.

a hieroglyphic hare

photo copyright Remih, via creative commons attribution - share alike 3.0

Somewhere on the warm golden walls of the Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt, this hare takes its part in the inscriptions.  The hieroglyph stands for the sound wn, or un, and is also a character for the verb to be.  Which I think is a fascinating choice on the part of the ancient Egyptians.  After all, what has to live more in the moment than a desert hare?

two happy dogs for a lucky pocket

image copyright and courtesy www.lacma.org. public domain

Dog with Loose Collar and Puppy is another sweet netsuke (remember our napping cat?).  Dating from Japan, early 19th century, this comic duo in ivory measures all of 1 9/16 x 1 3/8 x 3/4 in., which makes the detail all the more delightful to me.  I love the goofy face on the puppy as it grins from under that sheltering paw.

some more cat superstitions

• The one who stops a cat from singing, will lose in their next venture.
• If a tortoise-shell cat comes to you, it is a sure sign that you are going to get money.
• Never cut a cat's whiskers. It cannot feel out any more good luck for you till they grow out again.
• If you want your pet cat to stay at home, measure its tail with a piece of wood and burn it in the oven, and it will never leave you. (Persia.)
• To kick a cat, will make it steal chickens. (Madagascar.)
• A cat about to kitten, must not be spoken of by its name, but called a witch. (Madagascar.)
• It is unlucky, on the island of Guernsey, to thank a person for giving you a cat or kitten.
• Cats are believed, in Ireland, to have a king and hold parliaments of their own.
• A black cat drops dead at the sight of a Bengal tiger; a cat of any other color is not affected in the least.

* * *

I suppose you should be careful how you misuse your Bengal tiger if you have one lying around!

Cora  Linn (Morrison) Daniels, ed. Encyclopedia of superstitions, folklore, and the occult sciences of the world; a comprehensive library of human belief and practice in the mysteries of life, v. 2 (Chicago and Milwaukee: J. H. Yewdale & Sons, 1903), pp. 591-98 passim.

"walk like an egyptian mau"

courtesy and by kind permission of the artist

Leslie Newcomer loves the mystery and magic inherent in every cat.  She paints them walking through their own legends in a spirit of fun and with bright, beautifully judged color.  Here's her piece "Walk Like an Egyptian Mau," which I found at her Etsy shop.  Over at her website, Fantasy Cat Art (you'll arrive at the first gallery page - there's lots more!) you can see more Egyptians, but also everything from sacred Burmese to small jungle royalty to a simply fluffy friend as plump as a wine grape.  Very cheering work.  Have fun looking!

vintage photo time: fluffiest marshmellows

thank you, shop in nevada city CA

Delightful.

pondering a pug pup 1875

thanks the-athanaeum.org. public domain

Here's a Pre-Raphaelite pug: Study of Sukey, a Pug Puppy by Frederick Sandys (English, 1829-1904).  Sandys was a marvelous draftsman, as you can readily see here, but he also had a certain talent for being led by his tenderer feelings. His marriage cooled after three years, but he never divorced his wife; he had an affair with a Romany woman who modeled for the Pre-Raphaelites, then met and stayed with the actress Mary Emma Jones for the rest of his life and a staggering amount of sons and daughters.  (Ten of the couple's children survived their father.)  I can't help but think he knew something about vulnerability, which he portrays with detail and feeling here.

the favorite kitten

thanks the-athenaeum.org, public domain

Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849 - 1921) was a well known artist and teacher in his day.  His landscapes and idealized portraits are in major American art collections; later in life he did groundbreaking work in camouflage based on his naturalist studies.  Here's one of his animal pieces: The Favorite Kitten, an undated oil on canvas.  I love the warm quality of the light and the way it picks out everything we need to know.  There is one yearning cat curling round the front, a second cat in back gazing up intently (how do you ignore that look?), and then the chosen kitty, snuggled right up under the child's face.  Looking at this painting makes me want to grab all my cats and tell them they're all my favorite.

a dog lends a helping eye

courtesy of the british library, offered free of known copyright 

This touching scene is a detail of a bas-de-page (bottom of page) scene of a blind beggar and his dog.
Cataloged at the British Library as Royal 10 E IV f. 110, it's dated last quarter of the 13th century or 1st quarter of the 14th century.

giraffes? giraffes!

That's actually the title of a very funny spoof book now out of print, but it'll do for this post.  Do I need a pet giraffe?  I do not.  I doubt anybody does.  Then why do I find myself envious of the Carr-Hartley family of Nairobi, who have not one but eight (eight) endangered Rothschild's giraffes?  And they have a hotel where they live with and protect these rare creatures.  It's called, wait for it, Giraffe Manor.  The giraffes will eat breakfast with you, or perhaps they will care to schmooze on the terrace over your evening wine.   Check out the virtual tours on the Giraffe Manor site. . . I wanna go!

the icelandic cat: thoughts of 1905

I do not know whether Mr. Annandale's reflections on domestic Icelandic cats are borne out in fact, but one thing's for sure: it takes the police to break up their parties.

* * *
Neither cat nor dog (that is to say, wolf) is indigenous to the island, but the true Icelandic cat is peculiar. It is of a dark blue-grey, in which certain lights enable darker markings to be detected. The fur is very short and thick; the size is small, and the form is slight. Good specimens of the breed are now becoming scarce, as a great deal of intermixture has taken place with ships' cats and others imported into the islands. There are few cat-fanciers in Iceland, and the Icelandic cat will probably soon be extinct. I believe that it has become fashionable in France as a rarity; but, curiously enough—possibly as an indirect result of in-breeding—it is extremely delicate and rarely survives removal from Iceland for long. A specimen formerly in my possession could hardly be induced to take milk or cream when brought to Edinburgh, but fed almost entirely on fish. It was stolen almost immediately; so evidently it must have been considered to be of some value by experts in Scotland. . .
The Icelanders attribute the peculiar colour of their native cats to the fact that they prefer to breed out among volcanic rocks of a similar colour to themselves rather than in the houses, and that the kittens born under such conditions . . .are affected by maternal impressions.

* * *

From Nelson Annandale, The Faroes and Iceland: studies in island life (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1905), pp. 166-7

dean russo: ragamuffin

image ©copyright Dean Russo Art and kindest permission of the artist

Today's treat is "Ragamuffin" by Brooklyn NY artist Dean Russo.  I ran into him on Twitter, and upon checking out his work this was one of the first images I saw.  I had to give you all a chance to see it.  Here's his artist's bio.

* * *
Art and animals. These two passions define Dean Russo, a Brooklyn, New York-based artist who uses vibrant Pop Art colors and bold abstract patterns to give a voice to his favorite subject, animals. Dean grew up in a home filled with art supplies, and from an early age began drawing cartoon characters, which became a great influence in his later work. After studying graphic design and fine arts at the School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute, Dean began to paint primarily celebrity portraits, but his two cocker spaniels became his greatest inspiration. “They would sit at my feet every night while I painted, so one day I decided to paint them.”
Dean starts his paintings with the eyes, because, as every animal-lover knows, the eyes are the most expressive. Dean’s main subjects are dogs, with pit bulls representing the majority of his work. “Pit bulls are a misunderstood breed, and I’m just happy to be able to get the message about animal rescue out there.” Dean Russo Art Studio has a sincere dedication to animal rescue, and has participated in charity auctions, donations and fundraising to raise awareness and help out in the animal welfare community. Dean hopes to convey the care and devotion of animal-lovers of every kind, from dogs and cats to horses and beyond. He has a wildlife series in the works, as a way to support the countless animals on the verge of extinction. Through inspiring messages and bright prints, Dean Russo’s work is sure to brighten anyone’s day.
And, in case you were wondering, if Dean were a dog he’d be a German Shepherd. Big and bold, but known for being gentle and loyal.

* * * 

Be sure to visit his website, and look for the corgi, which was my other post choice.

general lee misses his kids and cats

Robert E. Lee was not only a central figure in American military history, but a tender father with a fondness for pets.  Here's an excerpt from a letter he wrote to his daughter Milly (Mildred Childe Lee) in 1857, while he was serving in Indianola, Texas.
* * *
. . . I want to see you so much. Cannot you and dear Mary Childe (Lee's oldest daughter-curator) pack yourselves in a carpet bag and come out to the Comanche country? I wish you would. I would get you such a fine cat you would never look at "Tomtita" again. Did I tell you "Jim Nooks," Mrs. Waite's cat, was dead? Died of apoplexy. I foretold his end. Coffee and cream for breakfast, pound cake for lunch, turtle and oysters for dinner, buttered toast for tea, and Mexican rats, taken raw, for his supper. Cat nature could not stand so much luxury. He grew enormously and ended in a spasm. His beauty could not save him. I saw in San Antonio a cat dressed up for company. He had two holes bored in each ear, and in each were two bows of pink and blue ribbon. His round face set in pink and blue looked like a full blooming ivy bush. He was snow-white, and wore the golden fetters of his inamorata around his neck, in the form of a collar. His tail and feet were tipped with black, and his eyes of green and stealthy pace, were truly cat-like! 

But I saw "cats as is cats" in Savannah. While the stage was changing mules, I stepped around to see Mr. and Mrs. Monod, a French couple, with whom I had passed a night when I landed in Texas in 1846, to join General Wool's army. Mr. Monod received me with all the shrugs and grimaces of his nation, and the entrance of Madame was foreshadowed by her stately cats, with visage grave and tails erect, who preceded, surrounded, and followed in her wake. Her present favorite Sodoiska, a large mottled gray, was a magnificent creature, and in her train she pointed out Aglai, her favorite eleven years ago when I first visited her. They are of French breed and education, and when the claret and water was poured out for my refreshment they jumped on the table for a sip too. . . 

-- Robert E. Lee, in Children's letters: a collection of letters written to children by famous men and women, Elizabeth Colson and Anna Gansevoort Chittenden, eds. (New York: Hinds, Noble & Eldredge, 1905), pp. 127-8

introducing raissa markewycz - and marv

image copyright and by kindest permission of  the artist

This is Marv, brand new and still on the easel (the easel's cropped out).  In real life he belongs to a friend of Raissa Markewycz, a Seattle artist whom, full disclosure, happens to be a co-worker and friend of mine.  I think this piece shows her love of texture and her insight into her subject's self.  Though I haven't met Marv yet, I can tell from his portrait that he's a soulful fellow who takes riding pickup-shotgun in great earnest, as if it were a dearly earned privilege.  I'll ask Raissa if he's a rescue or shelter dog, since I get the feeling he may be.
I really like the honesty, power and tenderness of this painting.  Maybe you're wanting a portrait like this?  You and your pet would love meeting Raissa.  Right now you can contact her via the Museum at thepetmuseum AT gmail.com - I'll update contact info soon.

how the dog made the jackal howl: an angolan folktale

From  a collection of folktales of Angola, in literal translation:  here's why the jackal howls. His relative the Dog left him for tasty people food!

* * *
DOG AND JACKAL.
Jackal used to be in the bush with his kinsman, Dog. Jackal then sends Dog, saying: "Go to the houses, to fetch some fire. When thou comest with it, we will burn the prairie of grass; so as to catch locusts and eat." Dog agreed.
He started; arrived in the village. He enters a house; finds a woman, who is feeding her child (with) mush. Dog sat down; fire, he will not take it. The woman has fed her child; she scrapes the pot. She takes mush; she gives it to Dog. Dog eats; thinks, saying: "Why, I am all the time just dying with hunger in the bush; in the village there is good eating." The Dog settled (there).
Jackal, behind where he stayed, looked for the other, who was sent for fire; he does not appear.
The Jackal, whenever he is howling, people say, "The Jackal is howling, tway!" But no; he is speaking, saying: "I am surprised, I, Jackal of Ngonga; Dog, whom I sent for fire, when he found mush, he was seduced; he stayed for good."

* * *

Heli Chatelain, Folktales of Angola (Published for the American Folk-Lore Society by Houghton Mifflin, 1894), p. 213.

vintage photo time: play with the dogs, already!

"Play?"

"Hey, I asked first!"

I love that worried wrinkle on the red dog's forehead...makes me want to give it a smooch and a scratch.

C'mon, buddy, it'll be okay.

dog food recipe, virginia 1909

I always call my vet office when I need pet food advice (actually I call them at the drop of a hat; they must be sick to death of me - hi, Dr. Smith).  I wonder what the staff there would say to the recipe for "dog bread" below, from a very old-fashioned Southern book of bird dog care.  Since I'd never seen any dog food recipe quite like this, I offer it as a curiosity. What do you think of it?

***
One of the best all around foods that we know of is made from a recipe appearing in the Amateur Trainer, one of the best books on training of the bird dog in the English language, and written by our friend, Ed. H. Haberlein, of McPherson, Kansas, and sold by him at $1.50 postpaid, a book that you all should have. His formula is as follows: —

"Secure scraps at your meat shop, or buy a chunk of cheapest beef; put this into a kettle with hot water and a pinch of salt, and boil until meat falls from the bones; fish out the latter, and with a fork stir meat into shreds, to remain in the broth. Now stir and work into this a mixture consisting half and half of corn meal and shorts (bran - curator) to a stiff dough; fill low pans and place into a slow oven till quite well baked through. When cooled cut pone into suitable pieces. The quantity of meat thus worked into meal and shorts may be in proportion of one to six.  At the slaughter house the head of a beef may be had for the asking, and such a one can be utilized for the above purpose with very good results. After boiling, the bones of the head become quite brittle, and these form a splendid part of the dog's diet. Dog bread made as above stated will keep for a long time, and it embodies nourishment of the very best quality; the dogs eat it with delight and remain in excellent condition".

***

from Clarence Archibald Bryce, M.D., The Gentleman's Dog, His Rearing, Training and Treatment (Richmond, VA:  Southern Clinic Print, 1909) pp. 20-21.

happy mother's day

thanks reusableart.com (PD)

Moms!  They have so much to teach you ...
and so much love to give even if you she is a dog and you are a very screechy little tiger...
or she's a cat and you're a multilingual squirrel.

to all moms of all kids of all kinds

Happy Mother's Day

two dogs, enough love

thanks wikipedia commons (PD-old-100)

So what's the story here?  Is that little guy a puppy and his mom is checking up on him?  Or is he simply small enough to pick up and snuggle, and big dog there is all jealous? (You know how dogs get jealous.)  By the way, here's an interesting thing: as carefully rendered as this portrait is, you would think that big dog's paws would make a couple of crushes into that soft apron.  But they don't. They hover right on the surface.  But that's the only off thing about this Young Lady with Two Dogs by the Milanese painter Giacomo Ceruti, date unknown (the artist's dates are 1698-1767).

friday night tidbit: put your face on your pet!

Well, sort of.  I had to drop everything and bring you this posthaste:

Petswitch

So you wish you and your pet really looked alike huh?  Oh boy, here's your chance.  Get a picture of you, and a picture of your pet, and upload 'em, and your eyes and mouth get stuck on your kitty or doggie. WHOA.

vintage photo time: equal opportunity lap

thanks ampersand bulk bin

This woman looks awfully pleased with herself, not that I blame her.

butterflies: kitten toys or not?

thanks wikimedia commons {PD-100}

Beautiful, fragile things: a butterfly, cherry blossoms in a breakable vase, and not least a kitten at the very edge of a shiny, slick table.  Uh, oh.  This moment of calm before the storm is brought to you by the American painter John Henry Dolph (1835-1903). Trained in Paris and Antwerp, Dolph came back to the States to settle in New York City and devote himself to cat and dog painting.  Here's a bit more about him.

a wall dog

thanks wikimedia commons / zarateman for making this public domain

This photo was taken in 2011 in the town of Beasain, province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country.  According to its page in Wikimedia Commons, it's graffiti.  Certainly the most lovingly crafted graffiti I've ever seen.

wolfhound on a short chain

thanks wikimedia commons {PD}

Paulus Potter (Dutch; circa 1625-died 1654) specialized in animals placed in landscapes.  This is his Wolf-Hound, an oil on canvas painted sometime in 1650-52.  You can see his signature over the door of the doghouse.  I don't know whether this was anyone's particular guard dog, and I know I need to allow for the philosophies of the time.  Still, though he has a good stout bone in reach, I was disappointed at the roughness of his doghouse and especially the shortness of his chain.  All he can do is sit and watch and pace a step or two.  No wonder there is a wistful light in his eyes, poor fellow.  Then I recalled that Potter died young of tuberculosis no more than 4 years tops from when this was painted, and I wondered - did he already know his chain was short, too?

dog says whee

courtesy www.lacma.org, public domain

This excellent ceramic toy - want! - dates from the Veracruz area of Mexico circa 450-650 AD (PreColumbian period).  It measures roughly 3 x 4 inches and still retains traces of its original paint.  How little and clever it is.  Though primitive in execution, the dog has a sprightly character in its posture and even its funny face.  Don't you want to tie his wagon to a string and drag him around?

fable: a dog and a cat

From a collection dated 1738:

There was a Dog and a Cat brought up in the same House, from a Whelp and a Kitling, and never were Two Creatures better together; so Kind, so Gamesome and Diverting, that it was half the Entertainment of the Family to see the Gamboles and Love-Tricks that pas'd betwixt them. Only it was observ'd, that still at Meal-times they would be Snarling and Spitting at one another under the Table: And what was the whole Sum of the Controversy at last, but a Dog-and-Cat Wrangle about the Picking of a Bone, or the Licking of a Trencher.

The Moral.
Flesh and Blood does naturally consult its own Advantage. And when that comes to be the Question; There's the Bone that in some Degree or other sets all Mortals together by the Ears.

Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists: With Morals and Reflections (London, 1738), p. 528.  This was in the "Other" section, so not one of Aesop's according to the editors (there were over five of them).

don't just sit there, bunny

public domain, provided by kindest permission of the british library

From the Harley MS 1121 f. 141, "Detail of a dog chasing a hare on the lower portion of a partial foliate bar border, at the beginning of the Speculum ecclesiae." (The Speculum ecclesiae, or Mirror of the Church, was written by St. Edmund of Abingdon.  The manuscript in which this scene is found dates from the mid 14th century.)  The dog looks so happy. I would too if my prey wasn't bothering to go anywhere.

catnap week concludes...with catnip

copyright snowmanradio from wikimedia commons CC.BY.2.0

And I think that's a great way to finish.

"Cat sleeping in catmint," July 16 2007, by "snowmanradio."

catnap week continues - with a dog nap

thanks wikipaintings.org (PD)

I believe this is the same dog we saw in this earlier post on Carl Larsson's At Home series.  This time he decides to have a siesta inside in a Cosy Corner (1894, from the same series).  Whenever I look at Larsson's work, with its serene and cheerful palette and execution, I recall that he grew up in a struggling, bitterly poor family.  Then I appreciate all the more not only the beauty of his work, but the power and innovation of his life.  It takes a certain well tested interior compass to offer us a sleeping dog as part of the necessity of his art.  A sweet, safe room for a nap:  true success.

another treasure from atelier 28

image copyright of andrea cook/atelier 28

Catnap week continues! Just because I cannot resist this sleepy little face: another example of Andrea Cook's wonderful work.  If you missed my first post on this artist, it's here.

catnap week continues: renoir studies a fuzzy sleeper

thanks wikipaintings.org (public domain)

I'll admit I was surprised to see that this was by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, probably because it wasn't bright-toned and more loosely brushed.  "Sleeping Cat" of 1862 shows the Impressionist master working in the dark gold tones of interior light, tightening his brushwork just enough to pick out the intricate marbling of the cat's fur.  Big confession, which I think you've all already heard a couple times: I don't usually care for Impressionism personally.  This piece, however, I do like very much.