The photographed cat : picturing human-feline ties, 1890-1940

With more than 130 illustrations, The Photographed Cat: Picturing Close Human-Feline Ties, 1900–1940 is both an archive and an analytical exploration of the close relationships between Americans and their cats during a period that is significant for photography and for modern understandings of animals as pets. This volume examines the cultural implications of feline companions while also celebrating the intimacy and joys of pets and family photographs. In seven thematic sections, Arluke and Rolfe engage with the collection of antique images as representations of real relationships and of ideal relationships, noting the cultural trends and tropes that occur throughout this increasingly popular practice. Whether as surrogate children, mascots, or companions to women, cats are part of modern American life and visual culture.Entertaining, smart, and filled with a collector's trove of wonderful images, The Photographed Cat pays homage to the surprising range of relationships we have with cats and offers thoughtful consideration of the ways in which we represent them. The Photographed Cat 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Illustrations 10 Foreword 12 Preface 18 Picturing Friends 24 Unstill Life 40 Two as One 61 Domestic Privileges 79 Gender Displays 101 Citizen Cat 118 Peaceable Kingdom 136 References 146 Index 154 Foreword / By John Grady -- Picturing Friends -- Unstill Life -- Two As One -- Domestic Privileges -- Gender Displays -- Citizen Cat -- Peaceable Kingdom. Arnold Arluke And Lauren Rolfe. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The Photographed Cat presents readers with an examination of how human-cat relationships are depicted in early twentieth-century photography.