Perfect Example
Judging by the uniform, this looks like the WWI years.
A sailor sitting on a deck rail, overlooking the countryside, with a big, fluffy main coon or persian cat, cigarette hanging out of his mouth, looking pretty happy to be having a nice moment on land. There's something wonderful about a snapshot of what looks like a tough guy with a fluffy pet.
This snapshot reminds me of a Brueghel painting, in that if you look at it enlarged, there are details in the background that reveal the ordinary life around going on around the focus of attention. Under his knee is a man walking by a falling down fence in the field, a wooden platform is abandoned in the grass, the field seems to have ditches in it. There is a neat picket fence is below on the left. The cat looks out in perfect security of the care of this sailor's embrace, not struggling to get away, as cats often do when held.
Gallery
Library of Congress
Dogs
Cats
Horses
Misc
