From Cats and Ceramics to More Cats

Louis Wain was one of the most prolific artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. With many thousands of pieces under his name, his illustrations have graced the pages of magazines, newspapers and yearbooks. His pictures were printed on postcards and sent all over the world, and he even became famous as a ceramic artist. Not only was his art prolific, he was a popular figure in London society. Through his art, he changed attitudes about his favorite subject: cats.

Much maligned as unclean and even considered evil by some, cats were only a means of keeping rodent populations down in Victorian times. However, Wain’s love of cats shined through in his work. Not only did he change the way cats were perceived in Britain, he made them a popular part of British culture, earning him fame (and steady work). Louis Wain’s art is instantly recognizable and is still greatly admired and loved today.

Like all artists, Louis Wain’s art evolved over time and at different stages of his life. At school he didn’t have a clear idea of ​​what kind of artist he wanted to be, but all his ideas revolved around art. After graduating from high school, he studied at the West London School of Art, where he also took a job as a teacher after the death of his father to take care of his mother and sisters.

In 1881 he left home and rented an apartment where he devoted himself to his illustrative arts and surrounded himself with books on natural history and science to study the images from. His first published art appeared in the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News on December 10, 1881. It was a picture of bullfinches. Louis Wain submitted many more illustrations to the magazine before the editor decided to hire him more regularly to draw dog shows, livestock, country houses and estates, and sporting events.

Louis Wain’s art became diversified when he began working for many other publications. However, work for the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News increased the stability of Louis Wain’s income, and he continued to publish illustrations through that magazine through the 1880s.

However, Louis Wain’s art is not known for its realism, nor for the illustrations of real events that he drew for the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News. Cats became the dominant subject in Louis Wain’s art, and in 1884 his first cat illustration was published in the Illustrated London News. A multi-part drawing of the different moods of cats, the image is a more realistic depiction of the animals compared to the anthropomorphic paintings for which he became famous. The first four panels of the illustration show his cat Peter, for whom he had an abiding (and endearing) love.

1886 was a special year for the art of Louis Wain. At that time, a picture was published that really made Louis Wain famous. A kitten’s Christmas party, commissioned by Sir William Ingram, editor of the Illustrated London News, was published in December 1886. The end product was a multi-part illustration showing nearly 200 cats doing various human things at a Christmas party. Louis Wain’s first foray into anthropomorphism was published and was very well received and caused a sensation in London society. Sir William Ingram sent the picture to the Victoria and Albert Museum so that it could be made available to a wider audience.

In 1886 Louis Wain’s art also appeared in children’s books. Madame Tabby’s Establishment was the first in a long line of children’s books to be illustrated by Louis Wain. The book tells the story of a school where kittens are taught manners. As one of the first Londoners to raise a kitten, Louis Wain was perfect for the job.

Unfortunately, Louis Wain’s wife, Emily, died of breast cancer a month after the illustration was published. It was one of several tragedies that would have a significant impact on his life and art. His beloved cat, Peter, stayed by his wife’s side while she suffered and provided inspiration for Louis Wain’s art. Peter became something of a muse, and Wain painted many portraits of him before his wife died. She had urged him to continue drawing cats and to publish his cat art.

Another tragedy in his life was the death of Peter. In 1898 Peter died at the age of 15. Peter was Louis’ connection to his late wife, and this death affected Louis and furthered his descent into sadness (and madness). Despite this, Louis Wain’s art still featured images of happy cats doing human things. They often existed as satire, poking fun at the eccentricities of the rules and regulations of Victorian social life.

In 1914, Louis Wain’s art took an interesting turn when the artist began experimenting with ceramics. He produced a range of ceramic animals for a London retailer. Although most of the animals were cats, he also made sculptures of dogs, pigs and many other animals. Their design showed influences from the Cubist movement and from artists such as Pablo Picasso. Although popular, they did not capture the attention of the British public in the way his illustrations and paintings did. Instead, they found a market in the United States. Unfortunately, and perhaps typical of Louis Wain’s financial misery, the boat that was transporting them to America was sunk by a German U-boat. The surviving pieces are rare and very valuable, some fetching £10,000 ($11,500). Each item was sold with a small tag with a unique motto.

Louis Wain’s Later Life & Psychedelic Period

The art of Louis Wain evolved with the development of the artist’s psychological state. It has never been confirmed, but it is very likely that Louis Wain suffered from schizophrenia. His sister was declared insane with similar symptoms, so there may have been a genetic predisposition in his family. His erratic behavior led to his being committed to a poorhouse since his sisters’ family was too poor to afford anything else.

Wain had been financially unlucky throughout his life and failed to copy much of his work. This caused his sisters to anger him as it was his responsibility to provide for them financially. According to one theory, Louis Wain’s art reflects his suffering during this period as his work became more abstract and detached from reality. This theory would hold if all of his artwork were dated, but much of his work is not, and it is difficult to place Louis Wain’s art in a definitive chronological order.

Despite this, Louis Wain’s art at the time was colourful, psychedelic and kaleidoscopic. Decades later, his art was admired by psychedelic artists, who said it was truly amazing how Louis Wain could create such art without the influence of LSD.

After a year in appalling conditions, the British public discovered his predicament and requested that he be transferred to a more comfortable hospital. With the support of HG Wells and the personal intervention of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, Louis Wain was rescued from his dire situation. In 1930 he received a final upgrade to a hospital with a cat colony, which no doubt brightened his prospects, making his final years much more serene than the years before. He decorated his room with colorful pictures and positive messages wishing people happiness. Every year at Christmas he was given the task of beautifying the house and his drawings on all the mirrors became a much-anticipated annual event.

The art of Louis Wain forms an extensive corpus of works in multiple mediums. In addition to his ceramic sculptures, he created many thousands of illustrations and paintings throughout his life. His art fell out of fashion during World War II and the subsequent years of rebuilding Britain’s shattered economy, but a renewed interest in the late 1960s saw his work become immensely famous. There have been many exhibitions in various museums across the UK and many artists have been inspired by his work.

The art of Louis Wain was and remains a cheerful inquiry into mischief and fun. His illustrations and paintings exude love and are in turn still loved by their many admirers who recognize the innocent quality of his playful imagery.