You’ve probably heard of Benjamin West as the "Father of American Painting." He was the guy who moved to London, became the personal painter to King George III, and somehow managed to lead the Royal Academy of Arts for decades. He was a titan. But before the velvet robes and the royal commissions, there was a kid in rural Pennsylvania with zero access to art supplies.
How does a boy in a Quaker community in the 1740s—where art was often seen as a frivolous distraction—learn to paint?
He used his cat.
It sounds like a tall tale or some weird bit of folklore, but the story of Benjamin West and his cat is a well-documented piece of art history that highlights just how desperate and creative early American artists had to be. He didn't have a local Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. He had a feline companion named Grimalkin and a whole lot of ingenuity.
The Literal Hairs on a Cat’s Back
Let’s get into the weeds of how this actually worked.
Young Benjamin West was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, in 1738. He was the tenth child. Resources were tight. According to John Galt, West’s first biographer (who interviewed the artist late in his life), West’s initial exposure to color came from local Native Americans. They showed him how to mix red and yellow earth pigments. His mother gave him some indigo. He had the colors. He had the wooden boards. But he had no way to actually apply the paint with any precision.
He needed a brush.
He didn't have camel hair. He didn't have sable. So, he looked at the family cat. It was a large, black cat. Benjamin realized that the hair on the tail was remarkably similar to the bristles on the expensive brushes he’d only heard about. He took a pair of his mother’s scissors and snipped a tiny lock from the end of the tail.
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He fastened the hair to a piece of wood. It worked.
The problem? One brush wasn't enough. He needed different sizes for different details. He needed more hair. Over the next few weeks, the cat started looking a bit... ragged. His father actually became concerned, wondering if the poor animal had some kind of skin disease or if it had been in a series of horrific fights.
Eventually, Benjamin confessed. He wasn't hurting the cat—he was just "borrowing" its fur for the sake of his craft.
Why the Story of Benjamin West and His Cat Matters Today
It’s easy to dismiss this as a cute anecdote, but it represents the birth of American realism and the "do-it-yourself" spirit that defined the first generation of American painters. People often forget that in the mid-18th century, the American colonies were an artistic wasteland compared to Europe.
There were no museums.
There were no schools.
There were mostly just sign-painters and limners.
West’s willingness to literally harvest his pet for materials shows a level of obsession that you usually only see in the greats. It also points to a transition in Quaker culture. While some Quakers were strictly against "graven images," West’s parents eventually supported him. They saw his talent as a gift from God. If God gave him the talent, then surely the cat could spare a little fur.
From Cat Hair to the Royal Academy
The jump from a Pennsylvania farm to the English court is staggering. By the time he was a teenager, West was already painting portraits for prominent families in Lancaster and Philadelphia. People were stunned that a self-taught "prodigy" could capture likenesses so effectively.
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By 1760, he made it to Italy.
By 1763, he was in London.
He never went back to America.
In London, he became a sensation. He broke the rules. His most famous work, The Death of General Wolfe (1770), shocked everyone because he painted the soldiers in contemporary uniforms instead of traditional Roman togas. This was a massive risk. People told him he was ruining the "dignity" of history painting.
He didn't care.
He had that same "use what you have" mentality he developed back on the farm. If the reality of the scene was better than the tradition, he chose reality. That choice basically paved the way for modern history painting.
Common Misconceptions About the Cat Story
You'll see some versions of this story online where people claim he "skinned" the cat or was cruel. That’s just not true. All historical accounts, including West's own recollections to John Galt, emphasize that the cat was fine, just a bit patchy-looking.
Another misconception is that the cat was his only source of inspiration. While the cat provided the brushes, his first real "subject" was his baby niece. Legend has it he was supposed to be watching her sleep and decided to draw her portrait with a piece of charcoal. When his mother found the drawing, she didn't scold him—she kissed him.
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That kiss, West later said, made him a painter.
The Legacy of a Patchy Tail
West went on to mentor nearly every significant early American painter. Gilbert Stuart (who painted the $1 bill portrait of Washington), John Singleton Copley, and John Trumbull all studied under him in London. His studio was basically the first American art school, just located in England.
He was incredibly generous.
He was a workaholic.
He never forgot where he came from.
Even at the height of his fame, when he was sitting with the King of England, he’d talk about the "red and yellow earth" and the "hairs from the tail of a cat." It kept him grounded. It reminded him that art isn't about expensive tools; it’s about the drive to see something and capture it.
Honestly, the story of Benjamin West and his cat is the ultimate "no excuses" narrative for creators. If a kid in 1745 can invent a brush out of a household pet, you can probably start your project with whatever you have lying around.
Actionable Insights for Art History Enthusiasts
If you want to dig deeper into the world of Benjamin West and the scrappy beginnings of American art, here are a few ways to experience it firsthand:
- Visit the Swarthmore College Collection: West was born on the grounds of what is now Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. They hold a significant collection of his drawings and personal items. Seeing his early sketches helps you appreciate the transition from cat-hair brushes to professional mastery.
- Study "The Death of General Wolfe": Look at the original in the National Gallery of Canada or the versions in the William L. Clements Library (University of Michigan). Pay attention to the textures. Think about the fact that the man who painted that started by snipping fur off a tail.
- Read "The Life and Studies of Benjamin West" by John Galt: This is the primary source. It was published in 1816 while West was still alive. It reads like a novel and contains the original account of the cat hair brushes. It's available for free on many digital archive sites.
- Check out the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA): As a co-founder, West's influence is all over this institution. They often have his large-scale works, like Death on the Pale Horse, on display.
- Try the "Limitation Challenge": If you’re an artist, try creating a piece using only "found" materials—earth pigments, charcoal from a fire, or even (humanely) gathered hair. It forces you to think about form and color in a way that modern synthetic tools don't.