{"id":420387,"date":"2026-05-10T04:17:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T04:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/420387\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T04:17:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T04:17:23","slug":"book-by-godfather-of-cat-photography-honors-feline-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/420387\/","title":{"rendered":"Book by \u2018Godfather of Cat Photography\u2019 Honors Feline Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Black-and-white<\/p>\n

Long Island, 1952<\/p>\n

There were very few subjects that photographer Walter Chandoha<\/a> loved more than cats<\/a>. For decades, the late photographer, who died in 2019 at 99 years old, captured felines with a remarkable sense of whimsy, humor, and, perhaps most of all, adoration. Next month, Damiani<\/a> will publish a new book with dozens of these delightful images, all curated from Chandoha\u2019s vast photographic archive.<\/p>\n

As its title suggests, Family Cats from the Archive 1949\u20131962<\/a> mostly revolves around Chandoha\u2019s own pets, including his very first feline muse: Loco. The gray kitten, which the photographer rescued in 1948 during a New York snowstorm, quickly transformed from domestic companion to creative influence, sparking Chandoha\u2019s long fascination with cats of all stripes (literally). The paperback volume carefully traces that evolution, demonstrating how Chandoha\u2019s signature wit and intimate compositions made him a pioneer of cat photography not only during his time, but in the present as well. A testament to his enduring popularity, Wired dubbed him<\/a> the \u201cgodfather of cat photography\u201d in 2015, lauding his work as a predecessor to iconic memes like Grumpy Cat and I Can Haz Cheeseburger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started taking pictures 70 plus years ago, it was film and heavy metal or even wooden cameras. Film was expensive and you had to know what you were doing with your equipment,\u201d Chandoha mused in his interview with Wired, adding that he was pleased with how the Internet \u201cmade it possible for all cat owners to share their love of these wonderful animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Family Cats from the Archive boasts plenty of photographs that, in our day and age, could\u2019ve easily gone \u201cviral.\u201d One picture from 1950, for instance, depicts a white kitten with a black-tipped nose, its mouth widened into a grin. The cat\u2019s smile is nearly toothless with the exception of its front fangs, which only adds to its overall charm. Another image features two white kitties, one of which is poised, as if aware of the camera\u2019s presence, while the other appears to be caught in a yawn that almost looks intentional. Each scene evokes the essence of the cats and their individual personalities\u2014but, at the same time, these moments are familiar, if not universal, to pet owners. The photographer\u2019s whimsical work poses a rhetorical question: Who wouldn\u2019t want to photograph their cat in the middle of playing, of yawning, of teasing irritation?<\/p>\n

In Chandoha\u2019s mind, cats were singular, a creature so distinct that, even once he began photographing dogs later in life, he remained uniquely smitten with felines. \u201c[Cats] are more expressive than dogs,\u201d he told artnet<\/a> in 2015. \u201cThey get into more situations than dogs would ever dream of getting into and they vocalize so much differently. They have so much more variety in their postures.\u201d That variety unquestionably emerges across Family Cats from the Archive, in which furry companions bat at their reflections in mirrors; hesitantly approach Chandoha\u2019s camera; run alongside and chase one another; and, of course, snuggle, cuddle, and purr.<\/p>\n

\u201cDogs are said to be man\u2019s best friend, but cats are really attractive animals and appealing companions,\u201d Chandoha remarked. \u201cAt least that\u2019s what I think, and I\u2019ve been around them long enough to know!\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true\u2014throughout his career, Chandoah accumulated a collection of more than 200,000 photographs, including some 90,000 images of cats in particular. In that way, Family Cats from the Archive celebrates not just a photographer\u2019s oeuvre, but also the beloved creatures that inspired it.<\/p>\n

Family Cats from the Archive is currently available for pre-order via Bookshop.org<\/a> and Damiani\u2019s website<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

In the late photographer Walter Chandoha\u2019s Family Cats from the Archive, the whimsy, humor, and singularity of cats are on full display.
\n\"Black-and-white<\/p>\n

New Jersey, 1960<\/p>\n

\"Black-and-white<\/p>\n

Long Island, 1957<\/p>\n

\"Black-and-white<\/p>\n

New York, 1950<\/p>\n

\"Black-and-white<\/p>\n

Long Island, 1952<\/p>\n

\"Black-and-white<\/p>\n

Long Island, 1952<\/p>\n

\"Black-and-white<\/p>\n

Long Island, 1954<\/p>\n

The book, which is forthcoming from Damiani, features dozens of black-and-white photographs from Chandoha\u2019s kitten-filled archive, spanning 1949 to 1962.
\n\"A<\/p>\n

Spread from \u201cWalter Chandoha: Family Cats From the Archive 1949\u20131962,\u201d published by Damiani Books. ($20.50<\/a> via Bookshop.org)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Spread from \u201cWalter Chandoha: Family Cats From the Archive 1949\u20131962,\u201d published by Damiani Books. ($20.50<\/a> via Bookshop.org)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\u201cWalter Chandoha: Family Cats From the Archive 1949\u20131962,\u201d published by Damiani Books. ($20.50<\/a> via Bookshop.org)<\/p>\n

Damiani Books: Website<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Damiani Books.
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New \u201cCat\u201d Book Is the Purr-Fect Way To Celebrate Our Feline Friends Across Time<\/a><\/p>\n