Misbehaving

It is Caturday (Saturday with Cats)!  :)

By the late 19th century, pet cats had become a familiar presence in the salons of the prosperous bourgeoisie, a trend that Henriëtte Ronner-Knip followed with keen interest. Living and working in Brussels, she made charming scenes of playful cats in elegant interiors her signature subject, winning widespread popularity.

Henriette was trained by her father, Josephus Augustus Knip, who encouraged her to study directly from nature. Early in her career, she focused on rural life and farm animals. After her 1850 marriage to Feico Ronner, the couple moved from Amsterdam to Brussels, drawn by the city’s vibrant artistic scene and strong art market. There, Henriette initially became fascinated by dogs—depicting everything from hardworking draft dogs to the pampered lapdogs of fashionable women.

Around 1870, however, she devoted herself almost entirely to cats, soon earning a reputation as the foremost painter of cats in Belgium and the Netherlands. Years of close observation allowed her to render them with remarkable realism and character. She often had her feline models pose in a specially designed Louis XV–style glass cabinet and developed her compositions with great care, painting the interiors first before introducing the animals. Her works frequently show mischievous cats creating lively disorder in richly furnished rooms.

A favorite motif was the mother cat surrounded by her kittens. Misbehaving exemplifies this theme: under their mother’s watchful gaze, the kittens gleefully explore an expensive cabinet, tumbling into open drawers, climbing doors, and even dozing atop the furniture once play has exhausted them. 

P.S. Ronner-Knip produced some of the cutest depictions of cats. But she wasn't the only one. Meet 5 women artists who specialized in cat paintings!

P.P.S. Celebrate your love for furry (and feathered!) friends with our Animals 50 Postcards Set, a charming collection of animal masterpieces perfect for sending, collecting, or brightening your day.