Commercial Cartoons

In the West, humanized cats were often used for satirical commentary until sentimentality became a popular theme in Victorian Britain.

The second president of the British National Cat Club was the artist Louis Wain (1860-1939).

His innumerable caricatures of clothed, semi-human cats were, and still are, highly popular.

His characters have distinctly human features and enjoy many human, pastimes including smoking cigars, drinking tea, and playing cards. 

Later in life, suffering from schizophrenia, his humorous, gentle images evolved into intricate psychedelic patterns

Another deeply cat-conscious artist was Theophile Steinlen, whose Parisian home was known locally as "Cat's Corner," because of its large colony of former strays.

These cats  were the inspiration for Steinlen's posters, advertising commodities ranging from tea and milk to cafes and veterinary clinics.