Sold at Auction: Louis William Wain

Born in 1860 and educated at the West London School of Art, Louis William Wain owed much of his fame to Peter, his cat that brought comfort to his terminally ill wife. Inspired by Peter, Wain created feline-centric paintings; Louis Wain's artwork of 1886, A Kittens' Christmas Party started a prolific career. Anthropomorphized cats, a favorite theme within Victorian artwork, later became Louis Wain's signature prints.

In 1924, Louis William Wain was institutionalized with schizophrenia and remained in care until his death in 1939. His work from that period includes the Famous Series, eight feline illustrations that evolve into psychedelic swirls of shapes and colors. Along with a variety of pen-and-ink and colored pencil drawings and paintings by Louis Wain, he also created ceramic cats and dogs in a distinctive Cubist style. Collectors of vintage animal prints adore Louis Wain's prints, particularly those in postcard format.