Vintage Photos That Prove Cats Have Always Ruled Over Humans May 16 2018, 3 Comments
Cats rule the Internet, and there is no denying it. But long before there was even the concept of an Internet over which to rule, cats happily took their position as our fluffy overlords. And this series of vintage cat photos, taken in 1938, proves that cats have not changed one bit.
Originally published in National Geographic magazine in 1938, the photos were taken by Willard Culver and accompanied an essay by Frederick Eddy, former president of the Siamese Cat Society of America and the Empire Cat Club of New York. The photos feature pampered cats in the sitting rooms of Americaâs cat-loving elite. They also feature apt captions that are hilariously relevant to the experiences of cat owners today. Cats truly never change!Â
Photographer Willard Culver writes, âWith a bit of salmon or catnip, sometimes liver, approximate friendship could be developed, though many times short-lived." Culver speaks to the fickle nature of felines. "A false move on my part would change the most polite and complacent pussycat instantly into a defiant and combative creature that revealed the savagery of the jungle."
âThen, on hands and knees, I could myself trying to coax a prize-winning Persian from her dark retreat with dulcet calls of âKitty, kittyânice kittyââmy only answer a hissing growl from back under the divan.â
The 1938 National Geographic article captioned this image, âStately, kindly, lordly friend, condescend here to sit by me.â
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
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Midnight sits in front of the fireplace in Washington, D.C. Culver notes that the cat âhad to be dragged, snarling, from under the sofa for a split-second pose.â
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVEÂ
A trio of Siamese kittens nap on the sofa.Â
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
A champion chinchilla Persian lounges âlike a lordly little lionâ in Bloomsberg, Pennsylvania.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
Elmer the Burmese poses at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the time, Elmer was one of the only Burmese cats in the eastern U.S. Â
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
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Three tailless Manx cats play on furniture in Washington, D.C.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
âOnly on humiliating hands and knees may fond humans visit this scornful kitty in her own domain,â the caption read.
This tortoiseshell queen full of tortitude was named Joseph for her âcoat of many colors."
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
A blue Persian watches some quality cat-tertainment in the form of a goldfish.Â
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
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A vase of pussy willows captives a black Persian in Columbus, Ohio.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
The 1938 caption read, âYou can throw me on the table, but just try to put me on the shelf!â
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
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A champion Siamese cat posing with a porcelain statuette in Newton, Massachusetts.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
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A trio of Persian catsâwhich were described as âunusually affectionateâârecline on furniture in Silver Spring, Maryland.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
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In the 1930s, blue Persians like those shown below, regularly won best-in-show at cat competitions.Â
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
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What do you think of these vintage cat photos? Let us know in the comments!Â
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Comments
Linda Collard on July 21 2018 at 01:56PM
If those “Persians” are really Persians, then they HAVE changed… a LOT! All the persians I see any more all have “kicked-IN” faces (which I think are UGLY). These Persians are gorgeous! The fur looks Persian, but the faces look more like Angora. That one in the second to the last pic, the striped one looks like a Maine coon.
Rita Bingham on May 17 2018 at 11:51AM
Ann is so right. People have messed with natural breeds for so long you can hardly recognize them and I am not even mentioning the health problems. I love these photos. Thank you.
Ann on May 16 2018 at 02:23PM
They’re lovely pictures, with beautiful cats and settings.
Back then, Persians were lovely cats, unlike the sickly, flat-faced monstrosities seen today. Cats are supposed to have muzzles and noses, after all.
The old school Burmese and Siamese are also more appealing than their latter-day descendants. To go by these pictures, only the Manx cat hasn’t been changed for the worse.