Going to the Dogs, 18th Century Style

The fact of the matter is that I'm a cat person, not a dog person. Still, I figured if I was collecting images of cats in 18th century art, I might as well collect 18th century dog images, too.

I know this much about dogs in the 18th century: There were no official breeds, nor even an unofficial classification system as fine-grained as the modern one, but for many modern breeds, dogs can be found in the 18th century that look just the same, as can be seen in the art listed below.

Dogs in 18th Century Art

• Jean-Étienne Liotard, Maria Frederike van Reede-Athlone at Seven, Swiss, 1755–1756, on the Web at the Getty and at Wikimedia Commons Image Database. Very small black lapdog. Contact me to tell me what modern breed this dog resembles.
• Zoffany, Johann. A Scene from 'Love in a Village' by Isaac Bickerstaffe, 1762. at MyStudios.com Gallery and at Wikipedia.
• Drouais, François-Hubert (1727–1775), Madame Pompadour at her Tambour Frame, 1763–4. Small black dog standing on footstool with front paws on tambour frame.
• Drouais, François-Hubert. Madame de Pompadour, 1763–1764. On the Web at Art Renewal. Small black dog wearing harness with bells.
• Collet, John. Modern Love: The Elopement, 1764. On the Web at at Wikimedia. Dog with long, thin muzzle—whippet?
• Horemans II, Jan Jozef (1714-1790). The Marriage Contract, 1768. On the Web at the Web Gallery of Art. Small dog with poodle cut. Well, lion cut.
• Chiesa, Giuseppe Ignacio Maria (attributed to). Lady Louisa Lennox. Lady Louisa Lennox with her husband’s Regiment, 25th Regiment of Foot with Lord Lennox beside her, and Fort St Philip, Port Mahon, in the background, c. 1771. National Army Museum, 1974-02-123. On the Web at NAM; move mouse over image for blowup. Collie type dog? Shibu inu?
• Miss thoughtful. Printed for Carington Bowles ... No.69 in St. Pauls Church Yard, London, published as the Act directs, 20 June 1775. Originally published as: Miss Charlotte Williams. On the Web at the Lewis Walpole Library Digital Collection. Lap dog.
• Wheatley, Francis. A Family Group in a Landscape, c. 1775. On the Web at the Tate. Largish dog with curly white fur and very curled tail. Small girl has wrapped her sash around the dog to "restrain" it while the smaller boy in his mother's arm (with pink sash and red shoes) looks apprehensively at the dog, who is standing up to get nearer to the boy.
• Wheatley, Francis. Map with a Dog, c. 1775. On the Web at the Tate. Medium-sized dog with white fur and very curled tail.
• Collet, John (after). Good Entertainment for Man and Horse, 1776. British Museum, Registration number: 1878,0713.1318. On the Web at the British Museum.
• The cork rump, or, Chloe's cushion. Pub'd Novr. 19, 1776 by J. Walker, no. 13 Parliament St. On the Web at the Lewis Walpole Library Digital Collection. Poodle-like lap dog.
• Zoffany, Johann. Archduchess Maria Christine Habsburg-Lothringen (1742-98), daughter of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-80) and Emperor Francis I of Austria (1742-98), 1776. On the Web at MyStudios.com Gallery. Brown lap dog with long-haired floppy ears.
• Wright of Derby, Joseph. Maria, from Sterne, 1777. On the Web at Olga's Gallery. Small, white, curly haired poodle-like dog.
• Tight lacing, or, Fashion before ease from the original picture by John Collet in the possession of the proprietors. Printed for & sold by Bowles & Carver ... No.69 in St. Pauls Church Yard, London, [ca. 1777, printed ca. 1812]. The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University, 777.00.00.10+. On the Web at the Lewis Walpole Library Digital Collection. Smallish dog on bed.
• Zoffany, Johann. John Wilkes and his Daughter (Mary Wilkes), 1779. On the Web at the National Portrait Gallery and at the Art Fund for UK Museums. Medium small white dog, apparently in the general husky family of dogs, only smaller, and shaved in a lion cut, poor thing.
• Wheatley, Francis. The Return From Market, 1786. On the Web at the Bridgeman Fine Art Gallery. Mastiff(?) type dog.
• Wright of Derby, Joseph. Rev. Thomas Gisborne and His Wife Mary, 1786. On the Web at Olga's Gallery. Greyhound-like dog.
• Wheatley, Francis. Benjamin Bond Hopkins, before 1791. On the Web at the Bridgeman Fine Art Gallery. Spaniel(?) type dog.
• Horemans II, Jan Jozef (1714–1790). Tea Time. On the Web at the Art Renewal Center and at the Web Gallery of Art. Short-haired brown and white dog.
• Greuze, Jean-Baptiste (1725–1805). Madame Greuze. On the Web at the Web Gallery of Art. Small dog sleeping on her lap.
• Wheatley, Francis. The Return From Shooting. On the Web at the Bridgeman Fine Art Gallery. Eight+ dogs, some spaniel(?) or setter(?) type.
• Wheatley, Francis. Milk Below Maids, plate 2 from the 'Cries of London'. On the Web at the Bridgeman Fine Art Gallery.
• Wheatley, Francis. Two Bunches a Penny Primroses, Two Bunches a Penny, Plate 1 from the Cries of London. On the Web at the Bridgeman Fine Art Gallery.
• Wheatley, Francis. Outside the Cottage Door. On the Web at the Bridgeman Fine Art Gallery.
• Demarteau Le Jeune, Gilles Antoine, French, 1750–1802. Two Children and a Dog, 18th century. On the Web at Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Bonus: Dogs in 17th Century Art

• Ryckaert, David, III (Ryckaert the Younger). Peasant with a Dog, early 1640s. Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia. On the Web at the Hermitage Museum. Smallish white dog with black patches.
• Steen, Jan (1625/26–1679). Cat Family. Szepmuveseti Muzeum, Budapest, Hungary. On the Web at Olga's Gallery. "Cat" must be the family name. In the foreground, there is a smallish white dog with orange patches.
• Steen, Jan Havicksz. Kinderen leren een poes dansen, bekend als 'de dansles' (Children Teaching a Cat to Dance, known as 'The Dancing Lesson'), c. 1665-68. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. On the Web at and at Rijksmuseum Research Database, Amsterdam. Medium-sized white dog with brown patches (called a spaniel by the text accompanying the Rijksmuseum image) stands on floor barking.

Last updated 19 May 2012.

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