Louis Wain, British 1860-1939 - Smoking Cats; pencil on paper, signed lower left 'Louis Wain', 22.5 x 26 cm: together with another pencil on paper by the same artist 'Smoking Cat', signed lower left, 22.5 x 26 cm (2) Provenance: Elizabeth Eadsforth, gifted by the artist; Mrs J. H. Neild, gifted by the previous owner; Dirc Berkenhoff, Hamburg; private collection Note: these works are accompanied by a series of letters between Mrs J.H. Nield and Dirk Berkenhoff explaining the provenance of the works. Louis Wain was a friend of the Eadsforth family and used to give drawings as present to a young Elizabeth and her sister Emily as bribery at bedtime. Louis Wain is beloved for his joyful and humorous narrative scenes of anthropomorphised cats. Many of his works are now in the collection of the Bethlem Museum of the Mind. A biopic about the artist is being released this year starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Will Sharpe. Please refer to department for condition report