PDN Photo of the Day

June 20, 2019

Her Name was Loco: The Cat that Launched a Career

A clowder of ominous looking felines characterize one of the photographer’s most famous works, aptly titled The Mob. New Jersey, 1961. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
The spirited Loco—a stray Russian Blue Chandoha retrieved from a snowy New York City street, that would launch his photographic journey. Astoria, 1951. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
“My daughter Paula and the kitten both ‘smiled’ for the camera at the same time…but the cat’s not smiling, he’s meowing.” —Walter Chandoha Paula and Kitten is one of Chandoha’s most recognized and perhaps most fortuitously timed photographs, 1955. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
Cats were a familiar sight on the streets of New York City; Chandoha’s candid, slice of life style perfectly captures the nuances of these little creatures coexisting within the annals of urban living. New York City, 1950. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
Daughter Maria feeds a number of the family cats; stylistically reminiscent of painter Andrew Wyeth’s work, Christina’s World. New Jersey, 1962. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
New Jersey, 1966. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
Onlookers at Fabulous Felines pet store. New York City, 1961. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
An early photoshoot between photographer and subject, taken in Chandoha’s Long Island home studio. 1955. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
Walter Chandoha. Cats. Photographs 1942–2018. Walter Chandoha, Susan Michals, Reuel Golden Hardcover, 9.3 x 12.4 in., 304 pages. US$ 50 | £ 40 | € 40
A clowder of ominous looking felines characterize one of the photographer’s most famous works, aptly titled The Mob. New Jersey, 1961. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
The spirited Loco—a stray Russian Blue Chandoha retrieved from a snowy New York City street, that would launch his photographic journey. Astoria, 1951. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
“My daughter Paula and the kitten both ‘smiled’ for the camera at the same time…but the cat’s not smiling, he’s meowing.” —Walter Chandoha Paula and Kitten is one of Chandoha’s most recognized and perhaps most fortuitously timed photographs, 1955. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
Cats were a familiar sight on the streets of New York City; Chandoha’s candid, slice of life style perfectly captures the nuances of these little creatures coexisting within the annals of urban living. New York City, 1950. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
Daughter Maria feeds a number of the family cats; stylistically reminiscent of painter Andrew Wyeth’s work, Christina’s World. New Jersey, 1962. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
New Jersey, 1966. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
Onlookers at Fabulous Felines pet store. New York City, 1961. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
An early photoshoot between photographer and subject, taken in Chandoha’s Long Island home studio. 1955. Copyright: © 2019 Walter Chandoha
Walter Chandoha. Cats. Photographs 1942–2018. Walter Chandoha, Susan Michals, Reuel Golden Hardcover, 9.3 x 12.4 in., 304 pages. US$ 50 | £ 40 | € 40

On a cold New York City night in 1948, Walter Chandoha (1920-2019) spotted a stray kitten in the snow and brought it home. Chandoha, who started his career as a World War II combat photographer, turned his lens on his new feline friend who he named Loco. These images – of his first and most influential muse, marked the start of an extraordinary career that would span seven decades.

An upcoming book, Walter Chandoha. Cats. Photographs 1942-2018 (Taschen, July 2019), is a career-spanning retrospective of the “20th century’s greatest cat photographer,” states the press release. 

Long before Instagram, Chandoha’s cat photographs cultivated followers. His images have appeared on over 300 magazine covers and in thousands of advertisements. From greetings cards to jigsaw puzzles to pet-food packaging, Chandoha’s images combined a genuine affection for the cats and flawless technique. His trademark glamorous lighting would define the visual vocabulary of animal portraiture for generations.

Cats features color studio and environmental portraits, black-and-white street photography, images from vintage cat shows, tender pictures that combine his children with cats, and more. The book, writes Taschen, is “a fitting tribute not just to these beguiling creatures but also to a remarkable photographer…whose compassion can be felt in each and every frame.”

Walter Chandoha. Cats. Photographs 1942-2018
By Walter Chandoha, Susan Michals and Reuel Golden
Taschen, July 2019

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