The Cat by Gwen John - 1908 - 111 x 137 mm Tate Britain The Cat by Gwen John - 1908 - 111 x 137 mm Tate Britain

The Cat

Graphite and watercolour on paper • 111 x 137 mm
  • Gwen John - June 22, 1876 - September 18, 1939 Gwen John 1908

Gwen John adored her cats to the point that she depicted them frequently. This one, a tortoiseshell named Edgar Quinet, appears in most of her cat drawings, sometimes accompanied by its kittens. The name was taken from the address where John lived in 1904 when she first had the cat on 19 boulevard Edgar Quinet in Paris. When Edgar Quinet ran away in 1908, John was truly devastated. In a letter to a friend, Ursula Tyrwhitt, she wrote, 'when the cats make love I run to see if my sweet is one of them'. She composed a poem to her loss, 'Au Chat', which she sent to Rodin.