Cats' Christmas
Artist: Louis Wain · Undated
Cats' Christmas: high-resolution image, free to copy
The original file is hosted by Wikimedia Commons, available without payment or an account.960 × 591 pixels.
Open high-resolution image on Wikimedia CommonsLouis Wain. Wikimedia Commons.
Free to copy. Reuse terms: Public domain. Image source and credits.
The complete story
The story About 1 minutes to read
A Christmas gathering of cats fills the sheet, with a tree, gifts and a crowd of faces. The scene turns a family holiday into a cat reunion.
The tree and presents establish the occasion before any face is read. Around them, cats of different sizes and markings form a dense circle. The composition is busy but held together by the central tree.
Christmas was a recurring subject in Wain's commercial work. His cats celebrate, sing and exchange gifts in images designed for cards, annuals and magazines.
The picture's appeal is social rather than symbolic. It asks the viewer to enjoy the crowd and the occasion, not to decode a hidden message.
The story and its sources
Historical claims are linked to the records below. Close looking and interpretation are identified in the passage notes.
- Passage 1Article text
- Passage 2Article textWikimedia Commons: Louis Wain - Katzenweihnacht.jpg
- Passage 3Article textWikipedia: Louis Wain
- Passage 4Article textWikipedia: Louis Wain
Artist portrait Image credit
Unknown photographer. Image source · Public domain
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
Biography sources
The research & record
Study the work.
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The artwork record
Research catalogue
Catalogue information and detailed research, with references that link to the bibliography.
Identity and catalogue
Link- Title
- Cats' Christmas
- Artist / attribution
- Louis Wain
- Date
- Undated
- Medium and support
- Watercolour and ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Not recorded in the source
- Culture / place
- British
- Period
- Victorian and Edwardian illustration
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Subject and iconography
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Visual observation
The tree and presents establish the occasion before any face is read. Around them, cats of different sizes and markings form a dense circle. The composition is busy but held together by the central tree.(Wikimedia Commons: Louis Wain - Katzenweihnacht.jpg, n.d.)
Historical context
LinkRead valuation records and their limitations
The source file is titled Katzenweihnacht, German for cats' Christmas. It does not record a date or medium.
Wain's cat world
LinkRead valuation records and their limitations
Christmas was a recurring subject in Wain's commercial work. His cats celebrate, sing and exchange gifts in images designed for cards, annuals and magazines.(Wikipedia: Louis Wain, n.d.)
Reading the image
LinkRead valuation records and their limitations
The picture's appeal is social rather than symbolic. It asks the viewer to enjoy the crowd and the occasion, not to decode a hidden message.(Wikipedia: Louis Wain, n.d.)
Details to carry with you
- The source title means cats' Christmas
- The source does not record a date
- Watercolour and ink on paper
- A Christmas tree and a group of cats
Bibliography
Sources and further reading
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Source notes updated .
No recorded sources match these filters. Reset the filters to see the full bibliography.
- 01
Image-record
Wikimedia Commons: Louis Wain - Katzenweihnacht.jpg (n.d.). Wikimedia Commons.
Citation text
- 02
Secondary
Wikipedia: Louis Wain (n.d.). Wikipedia.
Citation text
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