Celebrating H.P. Lovecraft’s interest in our fascinating felines.

Louis Wain, “The Cats’ Party”. Unknown date, but perhaps 20 years before “Ulthar”. Original was perhaps in colour?

Early in Lovecraft’s Commonplace Book, item #11…

   “Odd nocturnal ritual. Beasts dance and march to musick.”

Later used in “Ulthar”, minus the musick…

   “… little Atal, the innkeeper’s son, vowed that he had at twilight seen all the cats of Ulthar in that accursed yard under the trees, pacing very slowly and solemnly in a circle around the cottage, two abreast, as if in performance of some unheard-of rite of beasts.” — H.P. Lovecraft, “The Cats of Ulthar”.

Wain was enormously popular and there was a 1-shilling Louis Wain’s Annual each Christmas in Great Britain from 1901 (Lovecraft aged 11) onward, interestingly. And Lovecraft was of course a great cat-lover. Though, so far as I’m aware, Lovecraft never mentions Wain.