Wilson Hepple (1854-1937, British) was a Victorian painter who primarily painted cats, kittens and horses. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, he studied at the Newcastle School of Art, but was mainly self-taught. He became known as the ‘Cat Man’ because of his many paintings of cats and kittens, and must have been an avid cat lover and observer since he was able to capture the animals as they went about their cat business creating mischief, playing and just posing. His paintings are reminiscent of other 19th century painters such as Henriette Ronner-Knip, Eugene Lambert, Julius Adam, Carl Reichert, Charles Van den Eycken and Rosa Bebbs among others. His son, J. W. Hepple also became a painter, concentrating on animals and genre compositions. Both are buried in Acklington churchyard. Hepple’s paintings are readily available on auction sites even today.

A Tabby Cat with a Kitten

Cat and the Paint

Cat on a Chair

Cozy Family

Curiosity

Expectation

Favorite Chair

Forget Me Not

Grey Kitten Posing

Kitten and Watch

Kitten beside a Jewelry Box

Kitten Drinking Milk

Kitten on a Chair

Kitten Seated on a Red Cushion

Kitten

Kittens and Paintings

Kittens Watching Goldfish

Playful Times

Portrait of a Cat

Portrait of a Tabby Cat

Portrait of Cat

Startled by an Intruder

The Happy Family

The Kitten had the Cream

Three Cats

Two cats Playing with Thread

Two Grey Kittens

Two Kittens and a Box

Two Kittens at Tea time

Two Kittens on a Gold Cushion

Study of a Cat

Making His Mark

A kitten with a shell and flowers in a glass vase, 1901

Kittens and Flowers

Kitten with Paint and Palate

Mischief

The Kittens

Kittens playing with a Ball of String

Cat and Pendant
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