# A Vestry Meeting by Louis Wain (Before 1892) Canonical article: https://www.artifact-archive.com/archive/louis-wain-a-vestry-meeting - **Painting:** A Vestry Meeting - **Artist:** Louis Wain - **Date:** Before 1892 - **Medium:** Print after an oil painting - **Period:** Victorian and Edwardian illustration - **Culture:** British Bulldogs in human dress argue at a vestry meeting, a rare Wain scene without cats. The image applies his anthropomorphic method to dogs and local politics. ## High-resolution image, free to copy [A Vestry Meeting by Louis Wain (Before 1892) | Free to copy, high-resolution image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/LouisWainAVestryMeeting.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original) Available image: 960 × 596 pixels. Image credit: Louis Wain. Wikimedia Commons. Reuse terms: [Public domain](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/). [Image source and credits](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LouisWainAVestryMeeting.jpg). ## The story The source describes a print of the painting made before 1892. It shows Wain using the same comic machinery he later reserved for cats. ## About the artist ### Louis Wain 5 August 1860 to 4 July 1939 Wain was a British illustrator and painter best known for his anthropomorphic cats. Born in Clerkenwell, London, he trained at the West London School of Art and taught at Camberwell before building a career in illustrated papers, children's books and postcards. His cats move through theatres, clubs, shops and family celebrations, and his later patterned images have become some of his most discussed work. - **Born:** 5 August 1860 - **Died:** 4 July 1939 - **Nationality:** British - **Birthplace:** Clerkenwell, London, England - **Died in:** St Albans, Hertfordshire, England ![Artist portrait of Louis Wain]() Artist portrait. Image credit: Unknown photographer. [Image source](). [Licence: Public domain](). - [Wikipedia: Louis Wain]() - [Wikimedia Commons: Louis Wain]() ## Research and reference record ### Subject and iconography Research section ID: subject. Claim ID: legacy-article-1-1. Evidence: visual_observation. The dogs fill a plain room, some seated on a bench and others standing. A notice board and a doorway set the institutional scene. The black-and-white print emphasises faces and gestures over colour. Source IDs: s1. - [Wikimedia Commons: LouisWainAVestryMeeting.jpg, n.d.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LouisWainAVestryMeeting.jpg) [s1] ### Historical context Research section ID: context. Claim ID: legacy-history. Evidence: article. The source describes a print of the painting made before 1892. It shows Wain using the same comic machinery he later reserved for cats. Source IDs: none linked in the published record. ### Wain's cat world Research section ID: article-notes-2. Claim ID: legacy-article-2-1. Evidence: article. The vestry was a local church council, a familiar target for Victorian satire. Wain gives the meeting to bulldogs, whose broad faces and heavy bodies suit the comedy. Source IDs: s2. - [Wikipedia: Louis Wain, n.d.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Wain) [s2] ### Reading the image Research section ID: article-notes-3. Claim ID: legacy-article-3-1. Evidence: article. The image is a reminder that Wain's anthropomorphic method was not limited to cats. The joke works because the dogs look both official and ridiculous. Source IDs: s2. - [Wikipedia: Louis Wain, n.d.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Wain) [s2] ### Additional published facts - Print after an oil painting - Made before 1892 - Bulldogs in human dress - A vestry meeting ## Sources and literature ### [s1] Wikimedia Commons: LouisWainAVestryMeeting.jpg Wikimedia Commons: LouisWainAVestryMeeting.jpg (n.d.). Wikimedia Commons. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LouisWainAVestryMeeting.jpg Publisher: Wikimedia Commons. Type: image-record. URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LouisWainAVestryMeeting.jpg Authors / editors: Not recorded. Publication year: Not recorded. ### [s2] Wikipedia: Louis Wain Wikipedia: Louis Wain (n.d.). Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Wain Publisher: Wikipedia. Type: secondary. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Wain Authors / editors: Not recorded. Publication year: Not recorded. ## Editorial note Metadata follows the Wikimedia Commons file record. The medium and date are not independently verified. ## Coverage and revisions Recorded scope: Not recorded Scope updated on: Not recorded Bibliography entries held: 2. Literature coverage is accumulating. Finding or cataloguing a publication does not mean it has been consulted. A missing consultation status is not recorded. The record does not claim that all literature has been found. Editorial review date: 2026-10-19. ## Product range [Browse ArtifactArchive's current product range](https://www.artifact-archive.com/shop). [This artwork's editions and availability](https://www.artifact-archive.com/archive/louis-wain-a-vestry-meeting#prints). Delivery country: GB. - Notebook: No suitable size for this painting. - Tough phone case: No suitable size for this painting. - Framed art print: No suitable size for this painting. - Canvas tote bag: No suitable size for this painting. - Mouse mat: No suitable size for this painting. - Flexible phone case: No suitable size for this painting. - Mug: Choose your size below. - Biodegradable phone case: No suitable size for this painting. - Fine art poster: No suitable size for this painting. - Clear phone case: No suitable size for this painting. - Desk mat: No suitable size for this painting. 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