Louis Wain Fact #24:
Louis Wain’s kaleidoscope cats were being made at the same time as perfectly normal illustrations. The infamous sequence depicting his “decline” that first gained infamy in the 1960s is made entirely of undated artwork that was likely illustrated in a completely separate order.
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The Eight 'Kaleidoscope' pictures on loan from the Bethlem Royal Hospital, catalogued by Patricia Allderidge.
General note: These pictures have been shown together in one amount for many years and were presumably arranged like this by Dr Maclay. Although it is known that he found 'some' pictures by Louis Wain in a shop in Camden Hill it is not certain how many of these were included, and nothing is known of their origin or when any of them were painted. The order in which they are seen here is entirely artificial.
102. CAT PATTERN WITH SAUCER EYES
Coloured pencils on paper
9" x 6 7/8"