The Photographed Cat: Picturing Close Human-Feline Ties 1900-1940

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.

Arnold Arluke is professor of sociology and anthropology at Northeastern University. He is the author of numerous books on animal-human interactions including Beauty and the Beast: Human-Animal Relations Revealed in Real Photo Postcards, 1905-1935, coauthored with Robert Bogdan.