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Off the Shelf: Catland: Feline Enchantment and the Making of the Modern World - Kathryn Hughes In conversation with Jake Hall

Wed 15 October 2025 , 6pm-7pm

Millennium Gallery

The year is 1900 and Britain is in the grip of a cat craze. An animal that had been regarded as a servant or urban nuisance for centuries is transforming into a cherished pet.

 

In this illustrated event, Kathryn Hughes chronicles the cat craze through the life and times of commercial artist Louis Wain, whose anthropomorphic drawings of cats are some of the most recognisable images from that era. Catland was a Spectator, TLS, Sunday Times and The New Yorker Book of the Year 2024.  

Guest curator Jake Hall 

 

This event is part of Off the Shelf: Festival of Words from the University of Sheffield. The full festival programme is available here: https://offtheshelf.org.uk/events/ 

 

The event is organised by the Off the Shelf Festival. Views expressed at this event do not reflect those of Sheffield Museums. 

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