25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
.
It was printed in 1954 by Seymour Berlin with Charles Lisanby
Charles Lisanby
Charles Alvin Lisanby is an American Emmy-winning production designer who helped pioneer color television scenic design. He has been nominated for 16 Emmys and has won three. In January 2010 Charles was inducted into the 19th Annual Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame alongside...
credited as the author, as he suggested the title, yet there is no text in the book. The calligraphy for the book was done by Julia Warhola
Julia Warhola
Júlia Varcholová, born Júlia Justína Zavacká, was the mother of the American artist Andy Warhol.-Life:...
, Warhol's mother.
The lithographs were produced on Arches brand watermarked paper using Warhol's blotted line technique. The original edition was limited to 190 numbered copies (although there may have been under 150 produced). Each original was hand colored, using Dr. Martin's ink washes. Most of them were given by Warhol as gifts to clients and friends.
Warhol's mother left the letter "d" off of the word "Name" in the title and Warhol kept the error in, as he liked the random imperfections which appeared in his creations resulting from the techniques he used. Both Warhol and his mother had a passion for cats and they were all named Sam except for one called Hester. They had so many cats that friends remember them always giving away kittens.
25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy actually only contains 16 cats named Sam followed by one cat in blue titled One Blue Pussy.
- Copy #4, inscribed "Jerry" on the front cover, was given to Geraldine StutzGeraldine StutzGeraldine Stutz was an American retail groundbreaker. She was appointed president of Henri Bendel in 1957, serving for 29 years until stepping down in 1986.She was born in Chicago, Illinois....
, who at the time was with I. Miller Shoes. She later became president of Henri BendelHenri BendelHenri Bendel is an American upscale women's specialty store based in New York City that sells fashion accessories, cosmetics and fragrances, gifts and gourmet foods...
and later while head of Panache Press an imprint of Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
she used this copy for a facsimile edition printing in 1987. Her estate consigned the original limited edition to Doyle New YorkDoyle New YorkDoyle New York is one of the world's largest auctioneers and appraisers of fine art, jewelry, furniture, decorations and other specialty categories. Located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Doyle offers approximately forty auctions each year...
where it sold in May 2006 for US $35,000. - Copy #18, inscribed "Misters de evia, denning" was given to Edgar de EviaEdgar de EviaEdgar Domingo Evia y Joutard, known professionally as Edgar de Evia , was a Mexican-born American photographer....
and Robert DenningRobert DenningRobert Denning was an American interior designer whose lush interpretations of French Victorian decor became an emblem of corporate raider tastes in the 1980s.-Early life:...
on one of Warhol's visits to their home in the Rhinelander MansionRhinelander MansionThe Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo Mansion is a French Renaissance revival mansion in New York City. Completed in 1898 it was designed by the architecture firm of Kimball & Thompson and has been more specifically credited to Alexander Mackintosh, a British-born architect who worked for Kimball &...
. De Evia was at this time an established photographer and Denning would go on to become an interior designer and partner in Denning & FourcadeDenning & Fourcade, Inc.Robert Denning & Vincent Fourcade, Inc. was an interior design firm which for over forty years was a leader in opulent interiors with offices in New York City and Paris...
. Warhol whimsically put an "x" through the copy number and wrote "69" above for his gayHomosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
hosts.
Some of the copies were given as Christmas "keepsake" books. These were in the peak of popularity in the 1950s and a number of prominent American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
families would have a book privately printed to give to their friends. Some families known to follow this practice were the Vanderbilts
Vanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
, Harrimans
W. Averell Harriman
William Averell Harriman was an American Democratic Party politician, businessman, and diplomat. He was the son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman. He served as Secretary of Commerce under President Harry S. Truman and later as the 48th Governor of New York...
, Copleys, Altschuls and others.
Three other self-published books by Warhol followed this first title:
- Gold Book
- Wild Rasberries
- Holy Cats