Louis Wain Fact #13:
During Wain's early childhood, he had been plagued with terrifying nightmares, 'visions of extraordinary complexity'. These miraculously vanished after he had recovered from scarlet fever some time around the age of ten. Current historians speculate that these visions had a lasting impact on the impressionable young Wain, and perhaps had influenced the intricate illustrations he produced later in life.
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On loan from the Bethlem Royal Hospital, catalogued by Patricia Allderidge.
108. GINGER CAT
Coloured pencil on paper
Inscribed on verso: F. Deuxbery, Mr. Louis Wain. Sept 1931
Date: September 1931
10" x 7"
The Bethlem Royal Hospital and the Maudsley Hospital Health Authority (Guttman-Maclay Collection)
This picture was drawn at Napsbury Hospital where the previous owner, Mr Deuxbery, was one of the nurses who looked after Wain. The background is presumably an example of the 'wallpaper patterns', so-called by the staff of Napsbury: in the early 30s Wain is said to have stopped drawing cats at all for a while, and drawn only these patterns, though he soon returned to cats.