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Over the centuries, the natural
beauty, sleek shape and fierce independence of the cat has made it a
popular subject for artists.
Cats have lived closely with both
artists and writers, and have appeared as subjects on their own in
cat pictures, or
as part of a composition. A wide range of artists have painted
them -- Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens and Andy Warhol have all painted
our feline friends.
In this section, we'll explore how
felines relate to the following topics.
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The ancient Egyptians considered
their beloved cats sacred. So sacred in fact that the
punishment for killing one was death. So it comes as no
surprise that the ancient Egyptians have countless, priceless works
of arts devoted to the prestigious feline.
The following is a sampling of some
of the ancient artworks cats have appeared.
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1450 B.C., Egypt
This is a piece of a
wall painting found in the tomb of Amenemheb at Thebes, Egypt. It
depicts the nobleman hunting with his cat. The feline has caught
three birds.
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600 B.C., Egypt
Bastet was the cat Egyptian goddess.
She was the goddess of pleasure, dance and music and was believed to:
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Protect women in
childbirth.
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Protect against day-to-day
bodily dangers (such as illness and poisonous animals).
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Protect newborn babies and
children.
A very large temple was built in Bastet's
honor at Bubastis (northeast of Cairo). Each year, thousands of
loyal worshipers flocked to this temple to celebrate. They offered
Bastet bronze statues like this one and mummified cats (see next article).
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600 B.C., Egypt
When a cat died in Egypt, the body was
embalmed with a full ceremony. The face was covered in a sculptured
mask, and the body was wrapped in colored cloth. Some were placed in
cat shaped coffins such as this one. And were
did the body come to rest? In an enormous feline cemetery with
millions of other cats.
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Cats in Ancient Egypt
If you’d like a more in depth look at how the cat became
domesticated and won the hearts of Egyptians, you must read “The
Cat in Ancient Egypt” by Jaromir Malek.
Jaromir, who is both an Egyptian scholar and a cat lover,
details how cats became represented in tomb paintings, jewelry,
sculptures and more! It is a very interesting read with more than a hundred
pictures. Have a look
for yourself! Click
here to purchase it in hardcover.
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1st Century A.D., Italy
Even though cats were not as popular in
ancient Rome as in Egypt, feline pictures and sculptures do exist.
This beautiful mosaic was discovered at Pompeii. It depicts a
spotted tabby hunting cat attacking a pigeon.
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1400's, Asia
Since cats protected the great food stores of
Asia, they were well revered and protected there. In the late 1400's, this cat appeared in
the studies by Chinese painter Shên Chou, one of the great
masters of the Ming Dynasty.
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Since a house cat has global appeal, it is often
used to convey feelings of comfort and domesticity. Large
cats, such as lions, suggest strength and power.
Cats, as expected, have always been used to
promote their own products. Such as Morris promoting cat
food. But they have also been used for a wide range of other
products.
In America and continental Europe, a black cat is
normally a sign of bad luck. But in Britain, it is a sign of
good luck! Black Cat cigarettes capitalized on this by placing
a picture of one on its cigarette package. People associated
smoking this brand with good luck.
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1859-1923
One of the most famous
illustrators of felines was French artist T. A. Steinlen (1859-1923), whose
advertising posters featured the feline as both stylish and elegant.
Yet at the same time, they were still captured as loving family pets.
Theophile Alexandre Steinlen was inspired by his daily life, and often incorporated
his family and cats into the pictures. He was able to portray their emotions and
moods perfectly.
Perhaps the most famous cat pictures by T. A. Steinlen are
Tournee du Chat Noir
(1896) and
Lait pur Sterilise
(1894). To view all his beautiful cat prints, just scroll through
the pictures to the left (just press the "next" link.)
Click here
to view a beautiful book of cat drawings by T. A. Steinlen. It's a great gift for cat lovers!
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1968-present, USA
Morris the
Cat is perhaps one of the most famous cats in advertising. He is the
spokes-kitty for 9Lives cat food.
In 1968 he was
discovered at a Chicago animal shelter. Shelter officials thought he
had such star potential, that they contacted a professional animal handler
named Bob Martwick. Bob loved the cat so much, he immediately adopted
Morris, then began pitching him for the new cat role for 9Lives cat food.
9Lives was taken
with Morris as well, and a star was born! America fell in love with
the finicky cat that was always hungry for 9Lives food. He became
the most recognized cat in America.
Not only did
Morris star in TV commercials, he also starred in the 1973 movie
"Shamus" with Burt Reynolds and Dyan Cannon. He has
appeared in numerous magazines, as well as on the cover of Cat Fancy's
30th anniversary issue.
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Over one hundred countries around the world have issued stamps featuring
cats. The first stamp to appear was in Germany in 1887. Know what it
showed? A feline with a fish in its mouth.
In 1930, Spain issued the first modern stamp commemorating the
historic transatlantic flight made by Charles Lindbergh. Did
you know that Charles black cat Patsy went with him on the first leg
from San Diego to New York? She sure saw the world! It
was her image that graced the stamp in honor of this flight.
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Another example of a beautiful
stamp. |
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One of the most famous feline film characters is most likely
Catwoman (from the movie "Batman"). She is clever,
beautiful, graceful and independent - the perfect combination of
woman and our beloved animal.
The Cheshire cat is a
famous cat character from Lewis Carroll's book Alice in Wonderland
(1865), and has since been made into a movie.
Carroll
may have thought of the idea when he saw a certain Cheshire cheese that used to have
a smiling cat marked on the package. This would explain the name
-- Cheshire cat.
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1865 The cat is
best known for its wide grinned smile. Alice
first sees it laying on the kitchen hearth, then later in the
woods. Gradually the cat disappears, starting with its tail, and
ending with its grin. The grin remains for a few moments after
the cat disappears.
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Cartoons and books have been another popular venue for our "movie
star".
The very first cartoon cat was Krazy Kat. Born in the USA
in the year 1910, Krazy Kat appeared as a cartoon strip in the
Hearst newspaper.
Herriman's Krazy Kat comics appeared in newspapers for 31 years (up until his
death.) In 1916, Krazy Kat moved to the movies and
stayed popular until into the 1930's.
Click here
to view a great book containing most of Herriman’s Krazy Kat comic strip and some
of his artwork.
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1920, USA - Felix The Cat
The year was 1920, and
Felix the Cat
was more popular than Charlie Chaplin.
This hero starred in 80 films,
and the sheet music to his theme song "Felix Kept on Walking",
sold millions. He also appeared in the first "talkie"
cartoon in 1928.
If you enjoy Felix the Cat comic strips, then you must check out
Felix the Cat's Greatest Hits
featuring a selection of stories with Felix.
Or view well-priced quality Felix
the Cat t-shirts.
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1939, USA - Tom and Jerry
In 1939, MGM introduced the Tom and
Jerry cartoon featuring a cat and mouse who engaged in endless comedic
battles. Tom and Jerry was created by Fred Quimby, William Hanna and
Joseph Barbera. The cartoon won seven Oscars over 18 years.
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1978, USA - Garfield
Probably the most well known cartoon cat today is
Garfield;
a fat, cynical, lazy, lasagna loving orange cat who has worked his way into
millions of people’s hearts, including mine. Garfield was created by Jim Davis and debuted in 41 newspapers on June 19, 1978.
Today, the strip appears in over 2,570 newspapers and is read daily by approximately 263,000,000 people around the globe. Plus over 130,000,000 Garfield books have been sold worldwide!
Did you ever wonder how Garfield got his name? He was named after Jim’s cantankerous grandfather, James Garfield Davis.
If you'd like to have a few laughs, check out this
Garfield comic book.
View
Garfield T-Shirts & other Garfield products.
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1957, USA - Dr. Seuss & Cat In The Hat
Theodor (“Ted”)
Seuss
Geisel was born on March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts. The author and illustrator of many children’s books, he is best known for "The Cat in the Hat", “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”, “Green Eggs and Ham”, and “Horton Hears a Who”.
Theodor got his big break in 1930 when he wrote and illustrated his first children’s book “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street”.
In 1957 Theodor created “The Cat in the Hat” after he was asked to write and illustrate an entertaining and illustrated children’s primer to help teach children how to read. Even though schools were hesitant to adopt “The Cat in the Hat” as the official primer, children and parents purchased copies in flocks. Thus making Ted a household name.
His books have been made into TV shows and movies. He has won many awards for his work including an Oscar, Emmys, Caldecott Honor Awards, the Pulitzer Prize and a Peabody.
At the time of Theodor’s death in 1991, around 200 million copies of his books, translated into 15 different languages, had been sold.
View
Dr. Seuss T-Shirts.
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Updated October 2006
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