DOG PAINTING A history of the dog in art

This is a truly splendid book, published in February this year in England.  It is the second edition of William Secord’s first book, published in 1992 by the same publisher (Dog Painting 1840 – 1940: A Social History of the Dog in Art).  The first printing of that book (5,000 copies) sold out in eight weeks and there were five subsequent printings over the years, such was the demand.

This new edition is almost a new book, for it is nearly 100 pages longer and is also physically bigger than the first edition (9½” x 12” as compared to 8½” x 11”).  However the differences are much more than size and bulk.

At the time the first edition was published many dealers had only black and white images of the paintings reproduced in that book.  This is a full-color edition with 525 color illustrations of outstanding quality.

Because William Secord has long been regarded as the pre-eminent expert on nineteenth century dog paintings he has had almost unlimited entrée to the great dog painting collections.  The Royal Collections of France, England and Belgium are represented in the book, as well as the national kennel clubs of America and England.  Paintings from twenty five museums are included.  He was able for instance to arrange for an outstanding collection to be professionally photographed in color.

The new edition’s writing has been slightly altered and revised but the substantial difference is also about thirty five per cent new photography not in the original production and of stunning color quality and reproduction.

Amy Fernandez of Dogs in Review recently talked to William Secord at length.  Her revealing seven page interview is at page 118 onwards in the January 2009 (vol 13 issue 2) of that excellent magazine.

From that interview we learn that William at 29 became the first director of the AKC Dog Museum.  The AKC was opening a museum on the ground floor of its then headquarters at 51 Madison Avenue.  Secord was there for six years until the museum moved to St Louis in 1986.

William Secord stayed in New York, started his business out of his apartment and then opened his gallery in 1990 at 52 East 76th Street, where it is to this day.  The business is and has been almost 100 per cent dog paintings.

What of French Bulldogs in the book?  Comparing the editions, the 1992 book has a small black and white Arthur Wardle of prominent dogs, including two Frenchies (page 277) and black and white reproductions of Edward VII and his French Bulldog (page 280), as well as a Maud Earl black and white print (281).

Go to the new edition.  At page 364 we have the whole page given over to the same Maud Earl in glorious color and definition and to a very early depiction of a Frenchie.  The next page has a splendid color reproduction ‘The Connoisseurs’ circa 1885 by Auguste Vimar with a French Bulldog portrait being viewed by four other dogs and a monkey and with text about our breed.

Pages 366 and 367 follow, with another three beautiful color reproductions of frenchies, including a full-page Maud Earl from the E. M. Hersey II Collection.

Uncharacteristically in both editions the author suggests that Edward VII’s most notable French Bulldog was “Paul” and not Peter.  The photo reproduced in the first edition was in fact a photo of Peter and the then Prince of Wales by Lafayette, Dublin, taken at Balmoral in September 1899.  A full page illustration is at p 17 of C. H. Lane’s Dog Shows and Doggy People (Hutchinson 1902).

Harding Cox in Dogs and I (Hutchinson 1923, Putnam’s NY 1924 pages 31 to 33) amusingly describes how in the presence of the then Prince of Wales he came to kick Peter for stealing a piece of cake and was caught doing so by the man who became the King of England.

Secord stated one concern to Amy Fernandez in the Dogs in Review interview mentioned earlier, that dog fanciers seem to have lost interest in antique dog books.  He referred to major collectors in the past such as Herm David, Shirlee Kalstone and Frank Fretwell.  In contrast a London book dealer had recently commented that people coming into a breed today often sought only the latest book on their particular breed!  This was in contrast to the past when their equivalent would have collected every book written on the breed.

If this is true then this certainly is unfortunate, for the pictures and descriptions in the old dog books help us to understand the particular breed and type, the social context and purpose of the particular dog and its development over the years.

William Secord’s book really does help visually and in writing to understand something of the changing breeds through history and through his examination of seventy five breeds, fortunately including the French Bulldog.

To quote from the inside fly leaf of the dustwrapper  “William Secord tells the story of the origins and development of dog painting and explains the various forces which emerged in 19th century England and America to create this golden age of dog painting … Secord examines in depth a wide range of seventy five breeds.  Pets, show dogs and the sporting breeds are all given their due … “.

As with the first edition there is an appendix of selected Dog Artists, which makes amusing reading.  For instance William Henry Hamilton Trood “At one time … kept a menagerie in the back garden of his Chelsea studio until the neighbours complained about the noise.  Afterwards he kept a fox, a badger and an otter running loose in his room with his dogs.”

A good bibliography has been updated and the annotations are instructive and readable.  A clear and detailed index makes it easy to find breed, artist or illustrations.

This really is a magnificent volume, an entertainment and a pleasure to look at and to read.

The book costs US $85 or 35 pounds sterling plus postage.  Click on William Secord Gallery   or The Antique Collectors Club    [Postage per book $5 for UPS ground shipping, within US.  NY state orders add $7.12 per book for sales tax.]