Winner at Jewel City Cat Club show, 1957

Mrs. Evelyn Minot, with her cat 'Pierre', at the 1957 CFF Jewel City Cat Club show, held in Glendale, CA. Shown with judge Mrs. Grace Over. Mrs. Over, of GRAY-IVY cattery, was also a CFA judge starting in 1962.

Photo from the scrapbook collection of Mrs. Roberta Billig, which was formerly housed at the Glendale Public Library, and is now in the collection of the Feline Historical Museum.

Walter Chandoha, photographer

"World's Best Cat Photographer"

At work here is well-known cat photographer, Walter Chandoha, who has about 25 cat books to his credit.


We are saddened to learn that Walter Chandoah passed away on January 20, 2019 at the age of 98. You can find his obituary on the New York Times web site here.

This photo is from the March, 1951 edition of "CATS Magazine"

Legends of the Cat Fancy - Early Cat Judges

EARLY CAT JUDGES

Did you know, that many of our early cat judges came from positions of respect in the DOG world? the POULTRY world? and the small animal fancy, as judges of Rabbits and Cavies? 

One such judge was Mr. Fred Gresham, who was a well-known breeder of some of the finest Saint Bernard’s in the country, and who was also well grounded in the breeding of fancy Pigeons. His fine Saint Bernard ‘The Abbess’ featured in Cassell’s The Book of the Dog. 

 

When Harrison Weir invited him into the world of cats, it was a three-fold win for the newly formed cat fancy, as with him came his two daughters. Miss Mary Gresham was to become the first Secretary of the National Cat Club (later Mrs Bridgwater), and Miss Dora (Dorothy) Gresham, later Mrs Balding, was the owner of the famous Chinchilla cattery and its hallmark stud, Champion Silver Lambkin.

In this photo, we see him judging a row of Beagles at a Kennel Club Show in 1903. You will also find a short bio and further images from his life, on a page dedicated to him at The History Project at

http://www.cat-o-pedia.org/people-FredGresham.html