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Explore

  • Before Internet Cats: Feline Finds from the Archives of American Art
  • Cats and the Creative Process
  • In the Artist's Studio
  • Cat Correspondence
  • On the Subject of Cats
  • Cats as Art
  • Everyday Life

Before Internet Cats

Everyday Life

Archives of American Art

It is my two pussycats that help me survive and I love them dearly; even though, really as far as I can see, they are good for nothing.

—Beatrice Wood to Elizabeth Stein, 1992

There are more than seventy million cats living in American households. The popular pets are considered family members. In these unassuming snapshots and personal files, cats are the center of attention—whether they like it or not. These candid records give us a glimpse into an artist’s daily activities outside of the studio, where they hang out with their friends, families, and, of course, felines. 


Lorri Wirsum, Karl Wirsum, and Ruby Wonder Wirsum

Photograph of Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy with cats

Cat Fancier's Association registration form for Kay Sage's cats

Anne Arnold's cat, Stubbs, and one of her bunnies in Maine

Photograph of Ella Witter's cat Tuffy

Personal directory

Gertrude Abercrombie and Robert Livingston with a cat

Group in New Canaan House I, New Canaan, Connecticut

Photograph of Hedda Sterne with her cat, Poussin

Alexander Stavenitz and Barbara Burrage with their cat

Photograph of Paul Suttman with wife Elisse and their cat

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