My Wife’s Lovers, 1891, Carl Kahler
God I hope I am immortalised by my husband for having 40 cats
Fun facts:
- It cost $5,000 in 1888 to have this painting made, which is more than $120,000 in today’s money.
- I say 1888 because it took three years for Kahler to complete, reportedly because he spent most of the time studying and sketching each cat to get a feel for their personality.
- It was painted for Kate Johnson, the title was her husband’s idea though, proving him the most patient and good-humored husband in the history of crazy cat ladies.
- Speaking of cat ladies, the picture actually contains 42 cats. Or more specifically, Mrs. Johnson’s 42 most favorite cats. She had 350 in total.
- It sold at auction via Sotheby’s a few days ago for over $800,000 dollars, vastly more than its $200,000-$300,000 estimate.
- The buyer is a private collector in California.
- Probably someone who really, really likes cats.
- I mean, really likes cats.
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