Cassius Marcellus Coolidge Dogs Playing Poker - Set of 2 Bowls

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (1844-1934) was once dubbed “The most famous artist you’ve never heard of.” However, almost everyone knows his most popular painting of dogs playing poker.

Born and raised on a farm in New York, Coolidge had no formal training as an artist. After leaving home at the age of 20, he struggled to find regular work until he began drawing cartoons for a local newspaper. Coolidge was a prolific illustrator of children’s books and is credited with inventing “comic foregrounds” where people can stick their heads through holes in a painted scene to be photographed as part of a funny image.

His first oil painting featuring dogs in human situations, Poker Game (1894) caught the attention of an advertising firm, Brown & Bigelow. In 1903, he was hired to create 16 paintings to advertise cigars. These featured various activities including dogs taking a road trip, ballroom dancing, testifying in court, as well as 8 illustrations of dogs playing poker, including his most recognizable, A Friend in Need, decorating our pop-up bowl.

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (1844-1934)
A Friend in Need, 1903