Louis Wain Fact #8:
Wain’s work is often confused and conflated with that of his contemporary, G.H. Thompson. Certain accounts even go as far as to say Thompson was an alias of Wain, but this was not the case. Thompson and Wain were separate individuals, and although they both often drew caricaturised animals, they each have styles that are recognisably distinct from the other.
Comments
- Reply
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.