1977 Catland

Description

Colour Plates, First Edition, Illustrated, Publishers' Original Binding, With Dustwrapper

The first edition, first impression.

In the publisher's original unclipped dust wrapper.

Rodney Dale ells the story of Louis Wain's tragic life in this work, which is illustrated with a colour frontispiece, title page, and fourteen further vibrant illustrations from Wain. Collated, complete.

Despite his life ending in tragic circumstances, Wain's work was enormously popular in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Following the decline of his wealth and mental state, prime minister Ramsay MacDonald set up a fund for Wain's sisters and also arranged civil list pensions for them 'in recognition of their brother's services to popular art'. He said that 'probably no artist has given a greater number of young people pleasure than he has'.

In 1925, H. G. Wells said of Wain, 'he invented a cat style, a cat society, a whole cat world. English cats that do not look and live like Louis Wain cats are ashamed of themselves'.