Regardless of age, cats have always seemed to be around people, even if they are lurking in the shadows. Nowadays, with the internet nearly breaking from the number of cat pictures and videos uploaded daily, we are exposed to their quirkiness and odd habits like never before.
However, that doesn't mean that those characteristics were never noticed before or discovered just recently. A Twitter account by the name of "Cats of Yore" collects old photographs of cats and serves as a time machine for those of us who are willing to witness the history of these fur balls.
With all of that out of the way, scroll down to see how cats were photographed throughout history!
More info: twitter.com | Instagram
#1
"Two convicted murderers of Folsom State Prison rescued a baby linnet and a newborn kitten from hunger and malnutrition and nursed them back to health. The cat and bird live in the prison's print shop in complete harmony." 1936.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
Bored Panda reached out to Molly Hodgdon, the person behind the account of "Cats of Yore". First, we asked her about how the whole thing started, and here's what she told us.
"It really started out of love for cats and history! Not trying to build a following or anything like that. I've always been a cat lover and I love feeling connected to other cat lovers throughout the centuries through art and photography. I was frustrated by a lot of the historical image accounts on Twitter that are just bots or people who do image searches but never provide any additional information - or worse, false information. So I'd see a fantastic cat photo but I'd have to do extensive image searches to find out where it came from and/or debunk the dumb fake 'facts' that accompanied it."
#2
A boy and his baby-cat. 1956.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#3
All hail this proto-goth queen, 1962.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
"I thought instead of complaining I should just start one for myself and if other people found it eventually, that would be great. If not, that was fine too. If you go back to the beginning it was just months and months of me posting tons of images with museum links and absolutely no interaction or followers whatsoever. I didn't use hashtags or spam anyone or follow tons of people trying to grow the account. It really is a labor of love, not a ploy for Twitter success because I thought 'Hey, the internet loves cats so I'm gonna exploit that'."
#4
Priest and kitten, 1954.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#5
Cat in a Dublin pub (1966). Photo by Evelyn Hofer.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
What's interesting, is that Hodgdon actually has an archive full of cat pictures that she keeps adding to as she often finds them in places like flea markets and yard sales.
"I have a collection of dozens and dozens (hundreds, maybe? Not sure) of vintage cat photos and postcards from all over the world. I pick through flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores, and scour online sources for them and keep them in big photo albums - the old-fashioned kind with black pages and little adhesive photo corners. I posted a photo where you can see part of it here. It's the kind of thing that I didn't usually tell anyone about or show anyone because it's so boring - I mean, it's absolutely wonderful to me, but most people will just nod politely and look for the nearest exit if I tried to show it to them. That's one of the great things about Cats of Yore, I've found this community of people who get as excited about dusty old cat photos as I do."
#6
Nadine Dennis with her cat, film star Puzzums. Ca. 1930.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#7
Top secret kitten lab, 1975.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
Given how many pictures Molly has collected over the years, we were wondering if she had any favorites. The owner of the Twitter page was quick to share, "Hard to pick, but some favorites from my personal collection are:
A lady named Fay annoying her cats with unsolicited affection.
An ethereal ghost cat from the 1960s.
This cool lady and her cat who will not be messed with."
#8
“Just we two” Postcard from my collection. Copyright 1907, mailed 1909. This photo is by C.E. Bullard, my favorite of the Victorian/Edwardian cat photographers. He seemed to genuinely love cats and he didn't cram them into stiff costumes or strap them into uncomfortable anthropomorphic positions.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#9
Adoptable kitten in 1952.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
"Cats Of Yore" is an account dedicated solely to cat images (as well as occasional humans in the pictures with the cats), but we couldn't help but wonder why Molly didn't choose to share historic pictures of other pets like dogs.
"I've always loved cats. My parents love cats and kitties are very present all throughout our family photo albums. Everyone has a favorite animal, like dolphins, pandas, tigers, etc. It just happens that I'm lucky enough to get to live with my favorite animal and see them every day. I also love dogs and reptiles and other pets! And other animals in general - I'm vegan and support several farm sanctuaries, I love pigs, cows, goats, turkeys, all of them. But cats will always be closest to my heart."
#10
Gorgeous little historical blep, ca. 1930s.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#11
Why do cats put up with us? 1937.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
Molly not only shares the historic and fascinating images of cats but also uses her social media page to raise money for animal shelters.
"At first it was purely about celebrating these images and the history behind them, but as my follower count grows, I've also started inserting a little more of myself while still maintaining 99% of the focus on old images. I've used social media to raise over $20,000 for animal shelters over the years and if I can use Cats of Yore to contribute to that I'm certainly going to do it."
#12
Cat named Hep getting a private performance. 1946.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#13
"Survivor of Fountain of the World headquarters bombing Jesse Vezina sleeps with her cat in front of the fireplace, 1958."
Image credits: CatsOfYore
"My other goal is to promote 'less adoptable' pets. My cats have a virus called FIV that is widely misunderstood and results in these cats being put down even though they can live long, healthy lives. So it's really important to me that I advocate for them and for the other shelter animals that get left behind because they're older or have medical or behavioral challenges. So basically I don't have plans to personally monetize or write a book or anything, just a bunch of totally insufferable do-gooder stuff."
#14
"Henri Matisse with cat curled between his legs, working from his bed" 1949.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#15
Kitten yelling for lunch, I think! Ca. 1900.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
Lastly, we wanted to find out a little bit more about Molly herself as well as her two cats!
"There's not much to tell about me. I'm 45 and a freelance writer in Vermont. My cats are amazing, though. Both of them came from rough backgrounds and have chronic health challenges beyond the FIV so they need daily medications and frequent vet visits, yet despite all that they are so sweet and happy. They love me, they love each other, they love playing, they love snacks, they're just little supernovas of joy even after everything they're been through. That resilience amazes and inspires me. Francie is purring in my lap as I type this and Fergus is curled up beside us. It's a totally mundane scene that plays out every day but it fills me with gratitude and contentment. That's what cats do for humans, they've graced us with beauty, comedy and comfort for thousands of years and it's amazing!"
#16
"Wandering cat looks disturbed as she was rudely awakened early today when Valley Times photographers came to work. The buff-colored feline apparently slipped into photo lab last night, slept, and then sneaked out when offices opened." 1960.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#17
Young lady smoking pipe with cat friend. Ca. 1905.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#18
I would go anywhere with him, no questions asked. 1929.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#19
Cat, Sinbad, supervising Britt Lomond and his wife Dianne working on new script. 1961.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#20
"Plain alley cats get a chance to act at Barnes zoo at Culver City, Cal. are being taught circus tricks, and will have mastered stunts that will surprise when the show hits the road this summer." 1925.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#21
I love this photo so much. The cat is completely unconcerned that the woman is doing some kind of complicated weaving work and just jammed itself into her lap. Ca. 1923.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#22
I don't mean to judge but they look like bad tippers to me. 19th century.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#23
"Mustard, the mascot for the 321st tank company pictured here with Sgt. Paul Postal. Mustard joined the tank crew on Halloween 1918 and stuck out the rest of the conflict with them."
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#24
Soldier with photobombing sleepy cat. 1915.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#25
"Self portrait with a kitten" 1959.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#26
Joan Collins tends to a tiny kitten, ca. 1957.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#27
I would like to hang out with this rad lady. Mary Lou Norwood, 1966.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#28
This little one was not giving interviews. 1978.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#29
"A girl and her cat." Ca. 1920.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#30
Whenever I see a photo like this I like to think they set out to do a portrait in the chair but the cat took over and nobody was willing to move it. Ca. 1910s.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#31
Mary Pickford. 1916.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#32
Young women walking their cats. 1929.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#33
"The British novelist Mrs Elinor Glyn (1864-1943) with her cat, Candide." 1934.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#34
Very cool lady and odd-eyed cat friend. From my collection, 1925-26.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#35
This is one of my favorite items in my collection - it’s just a very small photo of a cat butt from the 1920s.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#36
I don’t know for sure what’s happening in this photo so I’m going with “Cat Prom”. From my collection, 1954.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#37
"Brave cat trying to protect man from a dangerous typewriter." 1965.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#38
"Family cat investigating the baby." 1959.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#39
"Portrait of Koreshan Unity member Hedwig Michel and her cat, Moushie, in Estero, Florida." 1960.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#40
Ethel Knox poses with the 12 kittens that were born in a coffee shop to a stray tabby named Mot. 1935.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#41
Tiny hitchhiker, 1970.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#42
A most beautiful plumber. 1937.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#43
Just two pals going for a walk. From my collection, ca. 1950s.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#44
This is one of my favorites in my collection - smooshing baby's back around 1910. The back identifies the woman as Fay, the cats are Smut and Spot (remember ‘smut’ can mean dirt or soot, not obscene material).
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#45
"How they sleep" 1970.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#46
BEHOLD the beans. Ca. 1950s.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#47
"With a napkin under his chin (a cat napkin?), Sparky licks his chops as he waits for someone to pour his milk. This photo won a $10.00 prize for the high school senior, 17-year-old Mike Ianetta, who took it." 1955.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#48
"A baby feeding a rescued kitten some of her bread." 1922.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#49
Cat jumping between fishing boats. 1961.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#50
Actress June Lockhart showing an AP reporter how her cat, George, likes to swim. 1963.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#51
Just a heap of babies in 1901.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#52
Annie Ray Andrews with a kitty, 1928.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#53
Mittens meets a toad, 1953.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#54
"Company O'Connor men and cat" 1915.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#55
Cat waiting for Italian fishermen to hand over some lunch. Ca. 1950s - 1960s.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#56
"Cat in middle of debris from Hurricane Donna - Marathon, Florida" 1960.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#57
Celest Hancock and cat, 1970.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#58
Birthday party for cats Nicky, Honeybear, and Red Boy. 1952.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#59
Ruth Schwein in an enviable dilemma. 1905.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#60
Cat being forced to participate in Little Lord Fauntleroy's photo shoot, early 1900s.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#61
I know this look. This look means I'm in trouble. 1954.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#62
5 kittens preparing to sail the high seas. Ca. 1900.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#63
Spa day, 1930.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#64
"Cat in window, Beacon Hill" 1971.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#65
"He told me an interesting story" 1901.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#66
Cat being lowered in a basket. 1933.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#67
"Esther Mayhall with her cat" Ca. 1905.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#68
"Leslie Dughi and Fatty Lumpkin" 1971.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#69
"Cat 'Jody' described as 'ruffian' with evil designs on neighbors cat" 1958.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
#70
Kitten in a dress in tiny chair, ca. 1900.
Image credits: CatsOfYore
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