The Black Cat, for Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tales of Mystery and the Imagination,” Chicago, 1895–96
Responding to Poe's "The Black Cat," Beardsley shows the ferocious one-eyed feline that the narrator mistakenly walled up with the corpse of his wife. Revealed when the wall is broken through, the furious animal sits on the dead woman’s upright head, which the artist represents with masterful economy, using black lines against a white ground. In contrast, the background wall and cat are almost completely black, apart from a circular patch of white fur on the chest. This is one of four drawings that Beardsley made to illustrate a new American edition of Poe's "Tales of Mystery and the Imagination." The commission came from the Chicago publisher Stone and Kimball in December 1893 and the artist wrote in response that he believed the material offered "an admirable chance of picture making." Beginning in February 1894, Beardsley completed four of the eight requested designs. Related sets of prints were issued in portfolios that accompanied deluxe Japanese vellum versions of the publication in 1895-96.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Black Cat, for Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tales of Mystery and the Imagination,” Chicago, 1895–96
- Artist: Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (British, Brighton, Sussex 1872–1898 Menton)
- Author: Related author Edgar Allan Poe (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1809–1849 Baltimore, Maryland)
- Date: 1894
- Medium: Pen, brush and India ink over graphite
- Dimensions: Sheet: 10 in. × 6 3/8 in. (25.4 × 16.2 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, 2020
- Object Number: 2021.16.15
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.