holding hands

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1966. www.metmuseum.org. OASC

New York, circa 1844:  you've got a toddler to paint.  Good luck.  You can't keep her still, so how can you even keep her interest?  Throw in another toddler, of a different species.  Sketch fast.
The result?  This oil on canvas of young Emma Homan by the English-American portraitist John Bradley (active 1832-47, life dates unknown).  Being posed next to a potted rose is cute enough, but to throw a kitten in the bush and have it holding paws - genius.  Cat-hance below.

Now here's something interesting:  this little girl grew up to be the botanical artist and writer Emma Homan Thayer.  How did that get started?  You can't help but wonder if it had anything to do with some pleasant hours being the center of attention with a kitty and a flowerbush.