Concerning Cat Artists 



Of course, there are no artists whose painting of 

 the cat is to be compared with Madame Ronner's. 

 Mr. J. L. Dolph, of New York City, has painted 

 hundreds of cat pieces which have found a ready 

 sale, and Mr. Sid L. Brackett, of Boston, is doing very 

 creditable work. A successful cat painter of the 

 younger school is Mr. N. N. Bickford, of New York, 

 whose " Peek-a-Boo " hangs in a Chicago gallery 

 side by side with cats of Madame Ronner and Mon- 

 sieur Lambert. " Miss Kitty's Birthday " shows that 

 he has genuine understanding of cat character, and is 

 mastering the subtleties of long white fur. 



Mr. Bickford is a pupil of Jules Lef^bvre Boulan- 

 ger and Miralles. It was by chance that he became 

 a painter of cats. Mademoiselle Marie Engle, the 

 prima-donna, owned a beautiful white Angora cat 

 which she prized very highly, and as her engagements 

 abroad compelled her to part with the cat for a short 

 time, she left Mizzi with the artist until her return. 

 One day Mr. Bickford thought he would try painting 

 the white, silken fur of Mizzi: the result not only 

 surprised him but also his artist friends, who said, 

 " Lambert himself could not have done better." 



Upon Miss Engle's return, seeing what an inspi- 

 ration her cat had been, she gave her to Mr. Bick- 

 ford, and it is needless to add that he has become 

 deeply attached to his beautiful model. Mizzi is a 

 pure white Angora, with beautifu' blue eyes, and 

 silky fur. She won first prize at the National Cat 



