21 Pictures Of Cats Being Awesome Way Before The Internet Existed

Jun. 21, 2012

By Brandon Scott Gorrell info

I am Brandon Scott Gorrell and I am pumped!!!

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Kittens on the HMS Hawkins, circa 1919.

Cat on the HMAS encounter, sitting in the muzzle of a 6-inch gun. Taken during the First World War.

Outdoor cat wants inside, in the 1930s.

Kitten in a bonnet, circa 1885.

Cat posing for portait, circa 1875.

Cat enjoying jazz music in New York City, circa 1946.

Cat helping its owner nurse a sick swan back to health, circa 1950.

Mexican cat posing for portrait, circa 1868. Provided by Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library.

Cat enjoying radio, circa 1930.

Cat with funny facial expression, circa 1910.

Cat watching two lovers part, circa 1939.

Kitten navigating ice ship, circa 1902.

Cat stealing beer in a bar on the Bowery in Manhattan, 1947.

Charles Lindbergh playing with kitten, circa 1930.

Cat resting in broken cargo box, 1940s.

Cat learning how to sail, date unknown.

Stately cat is stately, circa 1910.

Uncomfortable cat, 1930s.

Cat on a leash, being walked with a dog. Poor cat. Date unknown.

Young cat trying to figure out how to eat a bird, circa 1880.

Sailors enjoying black cat, 1940.

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  • Thursday

    This was awesome, thanks for sharing!

  • http://www.itmakesmestronger.com/2012/06/21-pictures-of-cats-being-awesome-way-before-the-internet-existed/ Only L<3Ve @ ItMakesMeStronger.com

    [...] Thought Catalog » Life Add a comment [...]

  • http://gravatar.com/arlosdad David

    Um, the cats “posing” in some of the older photographs here are dead. The photo used to advertise this story is one of them. Studio photographers would pose deceased cats instead of living ones because they didn’t move and the exposures were necessarily very long.

    • Rishtopher

      Wow, I didn’t know that… Admittedly, that kinda took the smile off my face but, I still think it’s good to know.

    • http://www.facebook.com/oliveramiller Oliver Miller

      Aaaaah. I mean, that totally makes sense, but aaaaaaaah.

    • Tori

      haters gon hate; this article is still puuurrrfffect

    • eeek

      that was at the back of my mind too, i was thinking of when families would have photos taken around that time frame after the death of a relative, and the only person totally in focus would be the deceased, while everyone else had these freaky gauzy eyes because they had been blinking during the exposure. super eerie.

    • Olive

      Oh god that just ruined my day

  • Marietta

    Yes, this was the same culture that posed dead family members for death portaits, too. It’s part of history.

    Still enjoyed seeing these cool archival photos.

  • http://www.sanlive.com/ sandy

    Best article I’ve seen on this site, hands down.

  • http://eof737.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/cat-humor-summer-fun-moments/ Cat Humor: Summer Fun Moments… | Mirth and Motivation

    [...] 21 Pictures Of Cats Being Awesome Way Before The Internet Existed (thoughtcatalog.com) [...]

  • http://actuallyallie.wordpress.com actuallyallie

    Yeah, so basically your grandmother liked kittens before liking kittens was cool. Featured this awesome post on my blog, Actually Allie.

  • S

    LOVE this. Especially the cat listening to the radio. I mean, that one couldn’t be dead, right?! Oh well.

  • http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/a-review-of-my-pets/ A Review Of My Pets | Thought Catalog

    [...] old fish that actually grows barnacles on itself. I took him to a groomer to get shaved down to a tabby cat length. During this grooming, Watson found his best defense was his immense strength in his [...]

  • http://www.itmakesmestronger.com/2012/09/a-review-of-my-pets/ Only L<3Ve @ ItMakesMeStronger.com

    [...] old fish that actually grows barnacles on itself. I took him to a groomer to get shaved down to a tabby cat length. During this grooming, Watson found his best defense was his immense strength in his [...]

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