Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné
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23.0 Children and Pets
A traditional theme in genre painting, but also seen in children’s portraits, are children interacting with their pets. Pets, then and now, were given to children to encourage responsibility and even empathy toward other creatures. Pictures in the theme Maine Haylofts (13.7) also include children and pets. —PH
Hills no. 23.0.18
1907 Sale no. 141
Her Pet Kitten
c.1878–81
Oil
35 x 25 in. (88.9 x 63.5 cm)
Signed lower right: E. J.
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Description/Remarks
Hills, 2022: Although John I. H. Baur owned and annotated a copy of the catalogue of Johnson's 1907 Estate Sale, he did not include this work in his own 1940 catalogue listing; he must have obtained it after publication.
1907 Estate Sale 
No. 141: "A vigorous representation of child dressed in white with black collar and cuffs, her arms folding in eager embrace a very young black kitten."
"Signed at the lower right, E. J.
Height, 35 inches; length, 25 inches."
[Annotation: “42.50”]
"Signed at the lower right, E. J.
Height, 35 inches; length, 25 inches."
[Annotation: “42.50”]
References
Catalogue of Finished Pictures, Studies, and Drawings by the Late Eastman Johnson, N.A. New York: American Art Association, February 1907. Sale catalogue, n.p., no. 141, as Her Pet Kitten.
Keywords
- Subject matter
: - Cats »
Record last updated April 7, 2022. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Hills, Patricia, and Abigael MacGibeny. "Her Pet Kitten, c.1878–81 (Hills no. 23.0.18)." In Eastman Johnson Catalogue Raisonné. www.eastmanjohnson.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=349 (accessed on May 1, 2025).