
Steinlen Sculpting a Cat
Photo by Agence Meurisse
Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923, Swiss) was an Art Nouveau printmaker, illustrator, painter and sculptor best known for his prolific portfolio of cat depictions. Steinlen had a love of art from an early age and attended art school in his native Lausanne. In 1881, he moved to Paris. Living in Montmartre allowed him to meet the leading artists and writers of the day who often frequented the club Chat Noir. In Paris he began to illustrate various magazines and books by Guy de Maupassant and Anatole Frances.
Steinlen’s fondness for cats is documented back to his early school days when he drew them in the margins of his school books. In Paris, his home on the Rue Caulaincourt was well known by the neighborhood cats. During his first years in Paris, it is said that he drew cats and sold the sketches for food. Several books have been published of his cat illustrations, drawings and paintings. Steinlen’s cats are elegant and sophisticated, not cute and mischievous, as they were depicted by so many other 19th and early 20th century artists.
Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen is buried in Cimetière Saint-Vincent, Montmartre.
Enjoy below the most comprehensive collection of Steinlen’s cat paintings, drawings/sketches, posters and statues.
Framed art posters and canvas prints are now available at

Black and White Cats

Black Cat

Blue Cat

Cat on a Blanket

Cat on a Sofa

Cat Sleeping on Floor

Cats and Moon

Chat au Clair de Lune, c. 1900

Chat dormant

Colette with Two Cats

Dans La Cuisine

Les Trois Chats

Reclining Cat Stretched Out from Left to Right, 1903

Sleeping cat in a chair

Cat on a Chair 1900-02

Sleeping Cats 1915

Chat et Chatte

Deux chats

Sleeping cat

The blue cat

Cats 1900-

Sitting Black Cat

Two Cats on a Pillow

Wary Cat

Black and Siamese Cats

Black Cat Stretched Out

Cat Arching Its Back, 1898

Cat Cleaning Itself, 1902

Cat Looking Forward

Cat Looking Up

Cat on its Back

Cat Sleeping on a Chair

Cat

Cats

Cats Sleeping in the Studio April 1922

Chats, 1896

Man and Woman and Two Cats Sleeping

Petit Chat Siamois, 1914

Seated Cat

Sketch for Steinlen logo

Final Logo

Sleeping cats

Study of a Cat’s Head

Study of cats — Fritz et Chiffon

Tabby Cat Sleeping

Study of a Cat Walking to the Right

Footer

Two cats

Black Cat

La-têtée-Nursing-Time, 1920

Three cat study

Two Cats on a Cushion, 1914

Two Cats

Two Siamese Cats Sleeping, 1920

Study of a Cat Resting on a Pillow 1919

Cat Sketch with Face in Background

Cat Sketch

Cat Sketches

Cat Walking

Chatte Tricolore Allongee

Deux Chats Endormis

Etude des Chats

Etude des Chats

Etude des Chats2,

Etude des Chats3

Le Chat Enerve

Mother and Kitten

Seated Cat

Siamese Cats

Sketches of Cats

Sleeping Cat

Standing Tabby Cat

Study of a Cat

Study of Siamese Cats Sleeping

Siamese Cats

Study of a cat walking

Three Cat Sketches

Two Cats Sketch

Two Cats Sleeping

Two Siamese

1897

Gaudeamus ,1890

Black Cat Poster

Angora Cat Statue

Angora Cat Statue 2

Cat Head Statue

Cat Looking Down Statue

Cat Lying Down Statue

Chat Angora Statue

La Sieste du Chat

Petit Chat Couchant Statue

Reclining cat Statue

Seated Cat Statue

Sitting Cat Statue

Standing Cat Statue
Want to know more about the cat in art, history and literature? Then this is the book for you. Now available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats.

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