Cat Arching Its Back
Medium
Drypoint from a zinc plate on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 7.6 × 14.1 cm (3 × 5 9/16 in.); Sheet: 22.2 × 30.6 cm (8 3/4 × 12 1/16 in.)
Classification
drypoint
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
49629
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, Swiss-born French artist Théophile-Alexandre Stein captured the whimsical spirit of Parisian life through his masterful prints, and *Cat Arching Its Back (1898) exemplifies his enduring fascination with felines. This intimate drypoint etching on ivory laid paper depicts a cat in a classic arched pose—poised, alert, and full of personality—rendered with delicate precision. Measuring just 7.6 × 14.1 cm, the image invites viewers to lean in close, evoking the quiet charm of everyday encounters. Steinlen, a key figure in the Belle Époque poster art scene and illustrator ...
About the Artist
Théophile-Alexandre Pierre Steinlen · 1859–1923
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, born on November 10, 1859, in Lausanne, Switzerland, grew up in an environment steeped in artistic influence, with his grandfather serving as a drawing teacher in nearby Vevey. He studied literature at the University of Lausanne before working as a designer trainee in a Mulhouse textile mill. In his early twenties, around 1881, Steinlen married Émilie Mey, and the cou...