De gelaarsde kat door Robert Cauer 1850 - 1900

This is a photograph of Robert Cauer's sculpture 'De gelaarsde kat', or 'Puss in Boots', made by Carl Heinrich Jacobi, sometime in the mid-19th century. The image illustrates a well-known folk tale and the choice to depict this subject matter in sculpture, then photography, speaks to the cultural values of the time. The sculpture presents a young man with the famous Puss, both presented on a highly decorative pedestal. It highlights the themes of social mobility and cleverness found within folk tales that captivated audiences in 19th-century Europe, and such stories reinforced social norms. The production and distribution of photographs like this one helped popularize certain kinds of art while making them more accessible to a wider audience. To better understand this work, one might explore the history of folklore in 19th-century Germany or look at how museums at the time were influencing public taste. Examining these resources can help us appreciate how art is always embedded in a particular time and place.