Louis Wain Fact #72:
Wain was often cited as the author of “A Vagabond in New York,” a controversial newspaper column written by an anonymous Englishman in America, often being insulting and apparently Anti-American. However, Wain merely wrote in to a newspaper a few times regarding the Vagabond, and the public conflated the Vagabond’s writing and Wain’s own unrelated travels in America. This confusion would be mostly resolved when Oliver Hueffer compiled his writings in a book, coming out as the true author.
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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.