# I Am Happy Because Everybody Loves Me by Louis Wain (c. 1928) Canonical article: https://www.artifact-archive.com/archive/louis-wain-i-am-happy-because-everybody-loves-me - **Painting:** I Am Happy Because Everybody Loves Me - **Artist:** Louis Wain - **Date:** c. 1928 - **Medium:** Watercolour and ink on paper - **Period:** Victorian and Edwardian illustration - **Culture:** British A large cat face fills the sheet above a handwritten motto. The wide eyes and broad smile make the image both cheerful and slightly uncanny. ## High-resolution image, free to copy [I Am Happy Because Everybody Loves Me by Louis Wain (c. 1928) | Free to copy, high-resolution image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/I_Am_Happy_Because_Everybody_Loves_Me_by_Louis_Wain%2C_c._1928.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original) Available image: 960 × 1,015 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:I_Am_Happy_Because_Everybody_Loves_Me_by_Louis_Wain%2C_c._1928.jpg). ## The story The work is dated about 1928. It belongs to the period after Wain's return from hospital care, when his cat images became bolder and more symmetrical. ## 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 face is built from radiating strokes and bands of colour. The inscription sits below, turning the image into a signed greeting. The cat looks directly out, so the viewer becomes the object of its declared affection. Source IDs: s1. - [Wikimedia Commons: I Am Happy Because Everybody Loves Me by Louis Wain, c. 1928.jpg, n.d.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:I_Am_Happy_Because_Everybody_Loves_Me_by_Louis_Wain%2C_c._1928.jpg) [s1] ### Historical context Research section ID: context. Claim ID: legacy-history. Evidence: article. The work is dated about 1928. It belongs to the period after Wain's return from hospital care, when his cat images became bolder and more symmetrical. 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. Wain produced many cat drawings for friends, admirers and hospitals during the 1920s. This one combines a commercial illustrator's readable image with a personal motto. 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 popular story that Wain's later patterns record his mental illness is not a secure diagnosis. The image can be read as an experimental design and as a friendly message without turning either into medical evidence. Source IDs: s2. - [Wikipedia: Louis Wain, n.d.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Wain) [s2] ### Additional published facts - Dated about 1928 - Watercolour and ink on paper - Carries the inscription I am happy because everybody loves me - Signed Louis Wain ## Sources and literature ### [s1] Wikimedia Commons: I Am Happy Because Everybody Loves Me by Louis Wain, c. 1928.jpg Wikimedia Commons: I Am Happy Because Everybody Loves Me by Louis Wain, c. 1928.jpg (n.d.). Wikimedia Commons. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:I_Am_Happy_Because_Everybody_Loves_Me_by_Louis_Wain%2C_c._1928.jpg Publisher: Wikimedia Commons. Type: image-record. URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:I_Am_Happy_Because_Everybody_Loves_Me_by_Louis_Wain%2C_c._1928.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-i-am-happy-because-everybody-loves-me#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: Choose your size below. - Mug: Choose your size below. - Biodegradable phone case: Choose your size below. - Fine art poster: No suitable size for this painting. - Clear phone case: Choose your size below. - Desk mat: No suitable size for this painting. 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