Save Mark Us Preferred on Google Print “The Draughtsmen (De teekenaars)," late 19th century, by Henriette Ronner-Knip. Four kittens turn a desk of drawing supplies into a playground, creating a mess that is as charming as it is chaotic. Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht, Netherlands. Public Domain Sarah Isak-Goode 11/8/2026 | Updated: 11/8/2026 0:00 X 1 Internet users have a well-documented obsession with cats. In 2010, an estimated 1.3 billion cat photographs circulated online, a figure now believed to have grown to more than 6.5 billion. Cat videos are just as popular: By 2022, YouTube alone hosted tens of millions. But while the internet has given this fascination a global audience, cats have been favorite artistic subjects for far longer
A portrait of Henriette Ronner-Knip, 1890.Bibliothèque nationale de France. Public Domain Ronner-Knip was born on May 31, 1821, in Amsterdam. Her father, Joseph August Knip, was a respected landscape painter whose career had taken him to France and Italy. Her grandfather was also an artist, making creativity and artistic pursuits central to her heritage
She showed an early aptitude for drawing, copying her father’s sketches by age 5 and beginning formal lessons with him at 11. As his eyesight deteriorated and he eventually became completely blind, she took on increasing responsibility for supporting the family through her art. Her father mai