Oh My Goodness, Look at These Adorable Pictures of Cats Taken by the Godfather of Feline Photography
Do you share the internet’s insatiable obsession with cats, but
need a classy alternative to the cliched “hang-in-there” poster?
Check out Walter Chandoha: Cats,
Photographs 1942–2018, a glossy new coffee-table book
published by Taschen that showcases the work of the late artist, who elevated
cat portraiture to an art form with his captivating photos of
our feline companions.
His life’s work totaled some 230,000 photographs, with about
about 90,000 of those being of cats. Chandoha discovered his
obsession with them in 1949, when he rescued a stray kitten and
christened it Loco for its wild nighttime behavior.
“I relished the challenge of making photographs of cats and
quickly saw the potential of attempting to capture their naturally
expressive personalities,” he said in the forward to the new book,
the 34th of his career. Chandoha was working on the publication at
the time of his death in January at the age of 98.
Starting at home with Loco, Chandoha quickly branched out to
other cats. He developed a niche for himself by photographing cats
for advertising campaigns, becoming a favorite on Madison Avenue.
Equally adept at capturing alley cats roaming the streets of New
York City as he was at immortalizing pampered pets in the studio,
Chandoha also unwittingly gave birth to the cat meme.
Walter Chandoha, Loco (1951).
Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter Chandoha.
But regardless of what you think of LOLcats, Chandoha was a true
artist, inspired by Johannes Vermeer’s masterful use of light and
the Japanese-French printmaker Léonard Tsuguharu
Foujita, known for his cat paintings, which have sold for as
much as £7 million
($9.3 million) at auction, according to
the artnet Price Database.
Far from a kitschy cuteness overload, the new book is a
celebration of Chandoha’s long, prolific career, his skill as a
photographer, and yes, all things cats.
See more photos from the book below.
Walter Chandoha, The Mob, New
Jersey (1961). Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter
Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, cats in New Jersey
(1966). Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, cats in New Jersey
(1982). Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, Siamese, New
Jersey (1984). Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter
Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, a man pets a cat on the
streets of New York (1950). Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019
Walter Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, Chandoha’s Daughter
Maria Feeds a Number of the Family Cats (1962). Photo courtesy of
Taschen, © 2019 Walter Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, from a shoot for
McCall’s magazine (1964). Photo courtesy of Taschen, ©
2019 Walter Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, Onlookers at
Fabulous Felines pet store. New York City (1961). Photo
courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, Siamese Kittens,
New Jersey (1962). Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter
Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, Paula and
Kitten (1955). “My daughter Paula and the kitten both ‘smiled’
for the camera at the same time, but the cat’s not smiling, he’s
meowing,” said Chandoha. Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter
Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, Persian, New
Jersey (1961). Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter
Chandoha.
Walter Chandoha, cats in New Jersey
(1961). Photo courtesy of Taschen, © 2019 Walter Chandoha.
The post Oh My Goodness, Look at These Adorable Pictures of
Cats Taken by the Godfather of Feline Photography appeared
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