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See more objects with the tag entertainment, figurine, figure, cat.

Object Timeline

1915

  • Work on this object ended.

1949

  • We acquired this object.

2006

2007

2013

2015

2017

2025

  • You found it!

Cat and kitten Figure

This is a figure. It is dated late 19th–early 20th century and we acquired it in 1949. Its medium is cast and painted brass. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

While little is known about this figurine, it may represent the anthropomorphizing of animals common in the Victorian era, which depicted animals as mannered beings that followed social and moral codes. Composed of what is presumed to be a mother cat disciplining her child, the figurine evokes the adage "Spare the rod and spoil the child."

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Cat Memes of Antiquity.

This object was donated by Unknown. It is credited Gift of Anonymous Donor.

  • Cat Figure
  • bronze, painted.
  • Gift of Anonymous Donor.
  • 1949-49-41
  • Cat Figure
  • glass.
  • Gift of Anonymous Donor.
  • 1967-45-182
  • Cat Figure
  • stoneware.
  • Gift of J. Lionberger Davis.
  • 1968-1-15

Our curators have highlighted 1 object that are related to this one.

  • cat Miniature
  • porcelain, painted.
  • Gift of Anonymous Donor.
  • 1949-49-14

Its dimensions are

H x W x D: 6.8 x 3.8 x 3.6 cm (2 11/16 x 1 1/2 x 1 7/16 in.)

Cite this object as

Cat and kitten Figure; probably Austria; cast and painted brass; H x W x D: 6.8 x 3.8 x 3.6 cm (2 11/16 x 1 1/2 x 1 7/16 in.); Gift of Anonymous Donor; 1949-49-35

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibitions The Virtue in Vice and IDEO Selects: Works from the Permanent Collection.

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18382391/ |title=Cat and kitten Figure |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=5 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>