Townsends Talks Cats in the 18th Century

I always enjoy watching Townsends' videos for reenactors. This week, they are discussing our feline friends in the 1700s. 

Cats: The Soft Underbelly of the Enlightenment

 Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Le Général, 1728. Detail.

Academia is gradually turning to more “open access” methods of publishing rather than depending on stuffy, expensive journals. Instead of the usual expensive subscription needed to enjoy the latest research, the general public can now browse for themselves recent scholarship free of charge. I’ve had the pleasure of discovering this week one such resource: Journal18, described as “the first journal dedicated to the field of eighteenth-century art history”. Each issue has a theme, the latest one as of this writing being “Animals”.

Well, dear cat lovers, I would invite you to read this excellent article which reflects on the evolution of the cat as an allegory in 18^th century art. It is a fascinating journey through period representations of felines, the early days of biology, philosophy, and political theory.

Freund, Amy, et Michael Yonan, « Cats: The Soft Underbelly of the Enlightenment », Journal18: A Journal of Eighteenth-Century Art and Culture, Volume 7, (Spring 2019). Online: http://www.journal18.org/issue7/cats-the-soft-underbelly-of-the-enlightenment/

The 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center

The 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center has a nice collection of cats images from the 18th century. Well worth checking out:
https://www.scribd.com/document/254040814/Animals-The-Cat

De Sève's Cats

I just love stumbling on cats during my research. Recently, I was looking for a few 18th century engravings to illustrate one of my presentations when I came across these wonderful images. They were created by Jacques de Sève, one of the main illustrators for Buffon's Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière, avec la description du Cabinet du Roi. 

Source: 

• Sève, Jacques de. Figures pour l'histoire des quadrupèdes par M. de Buffon. Tome II. 1755-1758. 193 p. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b105279154

Le Chat sauvage [The Wild Cat] 

Le chat domestique [The Domestic Cat]

Le Chat d'Espagne [The Spanish (Calico) Cat]

Le Chat des Chartreux [The Chartreux Cat]

Le Chat d'Angora [The Angora Cat]

The Great Cat Massacre

I haven't read this book yet, but it is certainly on my reading list! Have any of you read it?

Poe doesn't care much for this book... #academicswithcats pic.twitter.com/te9RTv5uvk

— Joseph Gagné (@josgagne) August 22, 2016

Cats in Colonial French America

Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, 1728.

For anyone who understands French, I highly suggest this interview with historian Jean Provencher talking about cats in New France! From Dessine-moi un dimanche on Radio-Canada.