Frank Paton

Cats and Dogs

17 x 29 inches

Frank Paton (1855-1909) was an English artist who specialised in animal subjects that verged on the sentimental. His images became immensely popular in the late nineteenth century and his supporters ranged from office clerks all the way up to Queen Victoria herself who was said to be a great fan of his work. Indeed, it is often assumed that Paton, along with Landseer, had an influence on Victoria's own etching ability. The queen was a keen amateur etcher and would have been amused by Paton's designs. This pair is unusual as the scale is large and they are signed by the artist himself. In the first plate two cats scale a tree in pursuit of some songbirds unaware that they are being watched from the garden gate by two mischievous dogs. In the second plate the dogs have entered the garden and have chased the cats up the tree.