Toulouse-Lautrec's Fox Terrier...

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's Post Impressionist images of the people in Paris around the fin de siecle. Did you know that he also painted and sketched dogs too?

I was intrigued to discover a letter that was recently up for auction in which Lautrec mentions buying a fox terrier.

The letter reads:

"I have just bought a Fox Terrier at the London pound. At the end of five days, the dogs are either killed or sold. The Queen wants it that way.

So for ten shillings I've got a
dog worth at least 5 Louis [100 Francs]. It would be very nice if you could send the errand boy to fetch it at the Gard du Nord tomorrow, Wednesday, at half past 5. Give it a drink, feed it and so on, and send it on again from the Gare d'Orleans to the following address: M. Victor, Cartage Contractor at the Langon Railway Station, Langon, Gironde, COD. In fact, I don't need to tell you who he is. Thadee will be responsible for enlivening the stay of this poor animal, who is named Judy, after Punch's wife. Inform Victor with a short telegram at Verdelais so that he will not fail to be there. I think I’ll be back about the 15th. I’m eating perfectly good grill[ed meat] and shall work a little, from a sense of duty. Salaam-aleikums to Thadee. Greetings to the friends and you".

The letter dates from 5th June 1894 and is written by Lautrec while staying at Morrell’s Private Hotel in London to his friend, Alfred Natanson.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to find out any further information about Judy the Fox Terrier. I wonder what became of her...

Fox Terrier Fun Walk No 2

Fox Terrier Fun Walk #2
Originally uploaded by Forever Foxed

Calling all Fox Terriers and their pals. Fancy joining us on our second Fox Terrier Fun Walk on Saturday 10th October? We'll be meeting at 11.00 at Brighton Marina and heading off along the Undercliff Walk towards Saltdean. Be there or be square.

Wire Fox Terrier Stuff #5

I am coveting this unusual retro fox terrier figure from the Ćmielów factory (pronounced “tschmee-loov,”) in Poland. It was designed by Mieczyslaw Naruszewicz in 1965, who I believe was part of the Institute of Industrial Design and it is now being reproduced at the factory using the original restored moulds.

Supposedly inspired by the work of Henry Moore and Picasso, there are many other lovely dog sculptures by different artists in the collection so go and take a look...

Wire Fox Terrier Stuff #4

I recently came across this delightful recording by Tony Schwartz called "A Dog's Life" . It was broadcast by the CBS Radio Network in the late 1950s and then later released as a record. It tells the tale of the first year in the life of Tony's dog, a rescue fox terrier cross called Tina. The record has an amusing narration by Ralph Bell which documents Tony's visit to the animal shelter to select a puppy, seeking advice on housetraining, selecting a name and so on.

If you fancy having a listen it is available to download from the Smithsonian Global Sound website for the bargain price of $3.97 You can also view the liner notes here. Utterly charming.

Branching out...

Due to popular demand (!), I've decided to branch out and include some more terrier breeds. Sticking to the square beardy ones for the moment though.

My latest badge features a West Highland Terrier (or Westie, as they're more commonly known).

Still having trouble photographing these badges because of their shininess. I keep getting my own reflection on the red background area, urgh!

Undiscovered Christie

I'm sure most Fox Terrier fans have read "Dumb Witness" by Agatha Christie, in which the mystery is solved by a WFT called Bob, with the assistance of Poirot.

I was delighted to read about the recent discovery of two unseen Christie short stories which will be published by HarperCollins in autumn. One of these is called "The Mystery of the Dog's Ball", which was eventually re-worked into the novel "Dumb Witness".

"Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making" by John Curran will contain this and another never seen before short story, along with insights into how Christie worked, re-using ideas and developing plots.

Take a look at the official Agatha Christie website for more fascinating facts.

Badges Smadges

Inspired by my love of all things shiny, I've just finished some terrier-ific badges. Trouble is, they're very difficult to photograph as I keep getting light reflecting off the surface. Any tips from budding photographers out there?



The glare on these isn't too bad, but I've another couple which are on darker backgrounds which I'm almost tearing my hair out over.

I'm also deliberating over what to label them in my various webstores; here in the UK we call them badges, but it seems in the US they're known as buttons. How strange!

You can buy them from my Etsy and Folksy shops...hope to get them onto my website later this week