Arnold Genthe was a cat fancier. He kept a cat in his studio - four in succession were all named Buzzer. In his portrait work, Genthe often used Buzzer as a prop. The pictures here give some clue as to what Buzzer thought about this.
“It is told that at the age of four, when I was taken by the nurse to look at my newly arrived brother Hugo, I seriously remarked, ‘I’d like a little kitten better.’ I am fond of dogs, but cats have always meant more to me, and they have been the wise and sympathetic companions of many a solitary hour.” –Arnold Genthe, As I Remember (1936)
“It is told that at the age of four, when I was taken by the nurse to look at my newly arrived brother Hugo, I seriously remarked, ‘I’d like a little kitten better.’ I am fond of dogs, but cats have always meant more to me, and they have been the wise and sympathetic companions of many a solitary hour.” –Arnold Genthe, As I Remember (1936)
Buzzer, ca. 1912