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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Inside Antiques, by Robert Reed   Inside Antiques: Cat Collectibles, A Purr-fect World   By Robert Reed In recent years, one of the USA's major auction houses devoted an entire auction to cat collectibles in nearly every form.   Some would say the world of cat collectibles indeed was a "purr-fect" one, with the choice of everything from Avon bottles to 19th century fine art.   While the feline mammal is typically defined as having a pleasant purr beneath its soft, thick fur; collectors might detect a roar.   "Big cats, little cats, white cats, good cats and even better cats,” purred an official at the international Skinner Inc. at what was billed as the first all-cat auction held in the United States by a national firm.   Among other things, the 'cat's meow' auction included enduring Staffordshire cat figures, considered by many to be the ultimate in cat collectibles.   Cat figures were first created in the Staffordshire region of England during the early 1700s. Early examples were often of salt glaze or a marbled agateware. Most were black and white, but some had elements of blue or brown. A majority of the early Staffordshire cats were in the sitting position and were rarely shown reclining.   Around 1750, a leading Staffordshire potter, Thomas Whieldon, crafted some notable cat figures in mottled green and brown pottery form. Soon his works were being copied by others of the region and for a time all such figures were called Whieldon pottery. Cats of porcelain were also produced in England during the 18th century. Records show one of the earliest porcelain cats produced was a small, three-inch black and white figure. It held a mouse in one paw and was seated on a base decorated with sprays of flowers. The cat figure was made in 1755 by the Chelsea Porcelain Works.   Meanwhile, other porcelain cats were being crafted in places like Derby Pottery during the 1750s and 1760s in Derby, England. Eventually, the firm became Chelsea Derby and continued to produce distinguished porcelain figures. Still other fine grade porcelain cats were created in the Worcester area of England as well as Lowestoft. In the 1770s, an exceptional porcelain tabby cat was produced in Lowestoft. Painted with various colors, it stood a mere two inches tall on a round green base.   During the early 19th century, an occasional cat figure was still being introduced in Staffordshire as well as at the Rockingham factory in Swinton, England. Cats at Rockingham often had a purple-brown manganese glaze, but were also delivered in other colours as well including both gold and white.   When the Derby porcelain factory closed in 1848, some workers there continued to render small porcelain works according to Katharine McClinton, author of The Complete Book of Small Antiques. "They made white cats with hollow centers and marked them with crowns," noted McClinton. The author concludes, however, that in terms of porcelain making, "cats gradually lost their popularity at Staffordshire potteries and there were none made as companions for dogs in the late 19th century."   In the United States, however, the cat emerged in the 19th century as a favoured symbol for advertising and promoting products.   During the 1880s, cats were used on a vast number of products, which ranged from cigars to canned foods, according to the book The Label Made Me Buy It, by Ralph and Terry Kovel. The white Persian cat was a particular favourite in the 1890s, but black cats were not far behind.   Likewise, cats had starring roles on trade cards of the late 19th century that also served to advertise and promote similar products.They could be fully costumed and wearing glasses for the Spencer Optical Manufacturing Company, or simply adorable ‘au natural’ emerging from a package of Dr.Thomas’ Electric Oil. Cats were especially popular on trade cards for companies like Woodson Spice and various thread manufacturers.   In France and England, lovable cats made the leap from ornamental figurines to dinnerware in the late 19th century in more utilitarian plates and serving dishes. As today, such items were often spared from regular usage and instead used for decorative purposes in a fashionable household.   The Skinner auction included one of the most valued cat paintings of the 19th century. The painting, My Wife's Lovers, by Carl Kahler, was commissioned in 1891 by wealthy philanthropist and art collector Kate Birdsall Johnson of San Francisco, California.   History records that Johnson owned 50 prized Angora and Persian cats, which she kept on her Buena Vista estate. The artist worked there for four years, first sketching the cats individually and then in groups. Reportedly, the painting was titled. My Wife's Lovers because the cats were given the name by the woman's husband. At any rate, the artist was ultimately paid $5,000 for the six by eight foot work of art. A few years later, the painting was displayed at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.   When the original owner died in 1894, the painting was sold at public auction. It was purchased for $500.   In 1906, when the San Francisco earthquake destroyed an entire art saloon, the painting barely survived. The painting emerged from obscurity in the 1940s when it toured the country to the delight of cat lovers. Now famous, more than 9,000 copies of the original painting were distributed in connection with the tour. In 1949, Cat Magazine declared it to be "the world's greatest painting of cats." The painting was re-discovered in the late 1980s, dirty and all but forgotten in a storage room by cat fancier and collector Kaja Veilleux. Finally, it was offered at the all-cat collectibles auction with a pre-sale estimate at more than a half million dollars.   "Throughout our nation's history, dogs and cats have had a prominent place in both fine arts and folk art,” noted an official of the Heritage Plantation of Sandwich some years ago. "They are found in countless paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures, as well as the designs and decorations of a variety of objects from samplers, coverlets and quilts to toys and pottery. They capture the attributes and antics, playfulness; and the aura of mystery and independence of cats."   The French paid tribute to cats early in the 20th century with remarkable lithographic posters of various colors. Dutch artist Henriette Ronner-Knip uses the image of a cat to decorate furniture including a low corner cabinet..Artist George Martel crafted glazed earthenware figures of beribboned cats with glass eyes during the early 1900s.   In the 1920s, there were wrought iron candelabras from Germany featuring stylized cats, crystal cat bottles from the Cambridge Glass Company in the United States, and a Nice Kitty Good Night decanter set painted in various colors from the New Martinsville Glass Company.   Tiffin Glass Company added to cat collectible treasures in the 1930s with an 11-inch milk glass Sassy Susie Cat. During that same decade, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad developed the image of famed tabby cat Chessie to advertise and promote all manner of rail transportation and related items.   Back in the middle 1960s, author and antiques expert Katharine McClinton cautioned, "cat collecting can be a very expensive hobby. Because the early ones were made as toys or whimsies, they were not considered valuable enough to treasure or keep.Thus there are comparatively few (old cat collectible pieces) available and prices have sky rocketed."   Nearly half a century later, the remaining fond old feline items still attract a crowd of collectors.   Photos: (All are Skinner Inc. auction photos)   Photo 1: Painting, My Wife's Lovers, ca1891 by C. Kahler; . Photo 2: Porcelain figural dish, early 20th century, Continental, 7.5 inches diameter;   Photo 3: Eathenware charger, Achille Parillee ca1877, enamel decoration;   Photo 4: Black Cat cigarette advertising tin, late 19th century. Robert Reed has written on antiques and collectibles for more than two decades. He has also authored 15 books, including The Antiques and Collectibles Dictionary, to be released this spring.       This Is Livin' Publishing © 2009 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster