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Cabinet Magazine’s most recent issue featured a series of paintings by the English artist Louis Wain, who painted thousands of pictures of cats. Wain was committed to a mental hospital in 1924 after showing signs of schizophrenia. Many psychologists believe the increasing severity of Wain’s mental illness can be seen in his paintings, though others claim the paintings are just reflecting patterns from his mother’s textiles. See for yourself:

All images copyright the Archives and Museum of Bethlem Royal Hospital.

H.G. Wells once said of Wain:

He has made the cat his own. He invented a cat style, a cat society, a whole cat world. English cats that do not look and live like Louis Wain cats are ashamed of themselves.

More on Wain can be found here, here, and here.

This post is in memory of my beloved family cat Mister Ham, who passed away yesterday.