Cats, Study I
Artist: Louis Wain · Undated
Cats, Study I: high-resolution image, free to copy
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Open high-resolution image on Wikimedia CommonsLouis Wain. Wikimedia Commons.
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The complete story
The story About 1 minutes to read
Two cat studies sit side by side, one in soft natural colour and one in a tighter decorative pattern. The pairing shows Wain moving between observation and ornament.
The left cat is painted with loose fur marks and a soft background. The right cat is built from denser patterning, with the face held inside a decorative frame. The contrast makes the sheet a small demonstration of two approaches.
Wain produced many such studies for publication and for admirers. The German title Katzen simply means cats, and the file gives no further provenance.
The two panels invite comparison rather than a single narrative. They show how easily Wain could move from a realistic cat to a designed, almost heraldic image.
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 - Katzen1.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
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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, Study I
- 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 left cat is painted with loose fur marks and a soft background. The right cat is built from denser patterning, with the face held inside a decorative frame. The contrast makes the sheet a small demonstration of two approaches.(Wikimedia Commons: Louis Wain - Katzen1.jpg, n.d.)
Historical context
LinkRead valuation records and their limitations
The source file is titled Katzen1 and does not record a date or medium. The display title is descriptive.
Wain's cat world
LinkRead valuation records and their limitations
Wain produced many such studies for publication and for admirers. The German title Katzen simply means cats, and the file gives no further provenance.(Wikipedia: Louis Wain, n.d.)
Reading the image
LinkRead valuation records and their limitations
The two panels invite comparison rather than a single narrative. They show how easily Wain could move from a realistic cat to a designed, almost heraldic image.(Wikipedia: Louis Wain, n.d.)
Details to carry with you
- The source file is titled Katzen1
- The source does not record a date
- Watercolour and ink on paper
- Two cat studies on one sheet
Bibliography
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Source notes updated .
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- 01
Image-record
Wikimedia Commons: Louis Wain - Katzen1.jpg (n.d.). Wikimedia Commons.
Citation text
- 02
Secondary
Wikipedia: Louis Wain (n.d.). Wikipedia.
Citation text
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