Louis Wain, the cat artist extraordinaire, and his weird cats
The British artist Louis Wain was a highly successful illustrator, mainly known for his humorous graphics of cats. His quirky feline pictures were so popular that almost every household at the beginning of the 20th century had at least one poster by him.
The story of Wain’s life was depicted in a biographical feature film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021), starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the main role.
Although always sketching cats in random, anthropomorphic situations, Wain’s primary ambition was to become a press artist. He specialized in drawing animal and country scenes and was often featured as an illustrator in popular science and news journals. At 24 he sold his first cat drawing to Illustrated London News – a playful info-graphic on feline domestication.
Two years later, in 1886, Wain was commissioned to illustrate a children’s book, Madame Tabby’s Establishment. Written by Caroline Hughes/Kari, it tells the story of a school for kitten manners. No wonder Wain’s drawings were chosen, if there is anyone to depict the trials and tribulations of teaching little kitten manners,
Benedict Cumberbatch plays Louis Wain in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain