The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 17, 2025
The Parrot and the Cat (Sketch for "Good-Night" by Eleanor Gates)
c. 1905
(British, 1867–1939)
Sheet: 26 x 37 cm (10 1/4 x 14 9/16 in.)
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
This sketch shows the climax of the story when Loretta the Parrot confronts her enemy, Tomasso the cat, to protect her friend, Tony the canary.Description
Arthur Rackham was one of the most successful book illustrators of the early 20th century. He is best known for his colored illustrations for luxury editions intended as Christmas gifts. However, Rackham also did some work as a commercial illustrator. He designed ephemera like bookplates and greeting cards, and created illustrations for several magazines. The image associated with this sketch is an example of the later. It was one of six published in the February 1906 issue of Scribner's Magazine accompanying the short story "Buenas Noches" by Eleanor Gates. This sketch shows the tale's two subjects in the same positions and poses as in the finished composition.- Francis, Henry. "Recent Accessions to the Museum Collections." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 33, no. 9 (November 1946): 167-168. Mentioned: p. 167 www.jstor.org
- Fairy Tales and Fables: Illustration and Storytelling in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 4-September 8, 2024).
- {{cite web|title=The Parrot and the Cat (Sketch for "Good-Night" by Eleanor Gates)|url=false|author=Arthur Rackham|year=c. 1905|access-date=17 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1946.158