Illustrator Louis Wain was born on August 5, 1860, in London, England. He died on July 4, 1939. He was the eldest of six children and grew up with five younger sisters. He graduated from West London College of Art, but his father died when he was 20. To support his family, he continued working at the college as an assistant teacher for two years after graduation. To make a living, Louis began selling his artwork to newspapers and magazines. Fortunately, his meticulous depictions of animals and landscapes gained popularity, and his family's life began to stabilize. In 1983, he married Emily Richardson, who was his sister's governess. However, shortly after their marriage, Emily was diagnosed with breast cancer. To encourage her during her difficult battle with the disease, Louis drew an anthropomorphized illustration of his beloved cat, Peter. As his illustrations began appearing in magazines, his name quickly became known throughout the UK. His most famous work at the time is considered to be "Kittens' Christmas Party," published in the weekly newspaper Illustrated London News in 1986. The work depicts nearly 200 anthropomorphized cats celebrating Christmas by bowing and playing games. Emily died shortly after, but Lewis continued to draw cat illustrations. At the time, anthropomorphizing animals was popular, and his cats began appearing in a variety of scenes, including newspapers, magazines, fairy tales, and postcards. In his spare time, he also actively participated in animal-related volunteer activities, such as serving as chairman of the National Cat Club. His kind nature often led him to take on unrewarding work, and despite his popularity, he often struggled financially. As a result, he gradually became mentally ill, and in 1924, he was committed to Springfield Psychiatric Hospital. The cause was schizophrenia. The illustrations he produced during his hospitalization gradually became more abstract, and the geometric patterns of the cats are said to represent his inner thoughts at the time. This change in style is often used as an example to illustrate the worsening symptoms of schizophrenia.
