"He made the cat  his own.  He invented a cat style, a cat society, a whole cat world.  English cats who do not look and live like Louis Wain Cats are ashamed of themselves."  H. G. Wells, BBC, London, circa 1939. 

     Louis Wain was an artistic genius with a touch of madness that made him especially fascinating. His imagination took flight and his sense of fun broke through in a tremendous output of cat art that bedazzled the English - thrilled the Americans - and kept collectors and catlovers from all over the world paying huge prices for his work until this day. 

     The first of many scenes, featuring 230 cats and titled "Kittens' Christmas Party" appeared in a popular glossy magazine  in December 1886 and was followed by drawings of cats writing invitations with ink-smudged paws, cats asleep in bed dreaming of mice and birds, cats playing cricket, drunken cats rolling home after a spree, and zillions of others. A lot of Louis Wain's output during these earlier times  was destroyed between 1939 and 1945 when London suffered the heavy bombings of World War II

     Invited to the United States for 3 days to open a cat show in Chicago he was instantly in demand and remained for 3 years (1907-1910) and was undaunted by fierce competition from American artists. After his full page illustrations appeared in a leading New York newspaper he was deluged with assignments from prosperous calendar and post card concerns. In turn he amassed a small fortune and, as a witty and attractive widower, was sought after by the ladies. 

     Alas! In England in 1924 he crossed swords with his five sisters and they shunted him into the pauper's ward of the first of several insane asylums - including the gruesome Bedlam. It was years before he was recognized as the artist whose previous book illustrations and postcards were being reprinted and flooding the market (without his ever receiving a penny extra therefor).  

     Nevertheless, his charm and good humor prevailed and he eventually managed to obtain paints and brushes from charitable sources.  Every Christmas after that he produced a spectacular scene on the overmantal  of the institution in which  he was confined, and created radiantly colored paintings that are considered his finest work.  Most of these are owned by collectors, who occasionally display them in galleries marked 'not for sale.'       

     British-born Heather Latimer is the leading US authority on this celebrated Englishman.