The English artist Louis Wain was born on the 5th of August 1860 in Clerkenwell, London the son of a textile trader and embroiderer. Born with a cleft lip his doctors ordered his parents that he should receive no schooling until he was at least 10 years old. Thoughout his troubled childhood he spent much playing truant from school and wandering around London. At the age of 20 he attended the West London School or Art where he eventually became a temporary teacher before leaving to care for his sisters and mother after his fathers death. This lead to becoming a freelance artist when he worked for several newspapers and journals where he achieved relative success specialising in drawing of the British countryside, animals and action spotting illustrations
In 1883 he married Emily Richardson who sadly died 3 years later at their home in Hampstead, North London. It was drawing this period when Wain began to develop his art in the subject of animals where he encouraged their pets to where glasses and hats for his humorous sketches. His first drawing ‘A kittens Christmas Party’ where published in the Christmas issue of the Illustrated London News which path-ed the foundation for his speciality in cats, characterised in lively possess and satirical scenes
For the next 30 years Wain produced many, 10′s of hundred of drawing and some of these have been re produced for a special selection of Louis Wain Cards available at Cardome
View all our Edwardian Birthday Cards by Louis Wain
