Fort Worth Museum Displays Dog-Themed Art Spanning 19th, 20th, and 21 Centuries

    FORT WORTH, TX, July 12, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- If you believe the fossil evidence, dogs were domesticated about 12,000 to 15,000 years ago. If you believe UCLA molecular biologist Robert Wayne and the evidence from mitochondrial DNA, grey wolves were domesticated about 135,000 years ago. Believe it or not, his evidence shows that every dog breed, from the Pekinese to the Great Dane, is descended from the grey wolf.

Regardless, the partnership between dog and human has been the subject of art for centuries, and it is the subject of DFW Elite Toy Museum's current exhibition entitled Dogs in Art, Toys, and Antiques. The exhibit features dozens of paintings created in the 1800s, 1900s and 2000s, as well as dog-themed antiques and rare toys featuring dogs.

"One fun part of the current exhibit is seeing the evolution in the ways that artists have depicted dogs over the last two centuries plus," said DFW Elite Toy Museum Curator Rodney Ross.

A 19th century oil entitled "The Marquis of Huntley's Pair of Deerhounds, Narren and Gaivney, in a Highland Landscape" by Charles West Cope harkens to a time when many dogs were working dogs and used in the hunt. A 20th century work by Cynthia Underwood entitled "Coursing Salukis" depicts the beauty of dogs in motion. A 21st century painting by Pamela Dennis Hall entitled "Sleeping In" shows four pampered King Charles Cavaliers enjoying a restful morning.

The museum is open weekdays from 9 am until 4 pm and Saturdays by appointment. The exhibition will run through the end of the year.

Among the art works that are part of the museum's holdings and may be part of the exhibition are these:
THE MARQUIS OF HUNTLEY'S PAIR OF DEERHOUNDS, "NARREN" AND "GAIVNEY", IN A HIGHLAND LANDSCAPE by Charles West Cope
LUNCH TIME by Edward Charles Barnes
STUDY OF A PEKINGESE by Edwin Alfred Debenham
TWO PEKES by Kate Rashleigh
COURSING SALUKIS by Cynthia Underwood
STUDY OF AN ITALIAN GREYHOUND by Alexander Blackley
FIRST POINT by George Armfield
WHY DON'T YOU TAKE IT? by Currier & Ives
CHOW HEAD STUDY by S.R.
CAIRN TERRIER by Dillon Ranel
BORZOI HEAD STUDY by Karen Staudt-Cartabona
THE WOUNDED COMPANION by After Richard Ansdell
OTTER HOUNDS WORKING A STREAM by Reuben Ward Binks
A GROUP OF FIVE COCKER SPANIELS AT THE EDGE OF A WOOD by Reuben Ward Binks
TITLEY ABBEY POODLES by artist unknown
LIFE IS GOOD by Patt R. LeMarie
AFTER DINNER GUESTS by Louis Eugene Lambert
BEST FRIENDS by John Wright Barker
TRAPPED by Edwin Armfield
DEFENSE OF THE REALM by John Hayes
AT THE END OF THE DAY by John Gifford
ITSY BITSY SPIDER by Thomas J. Hill
DIGNITY & IMPRUDENCE by After Sir Edwin Landseer
ROVER by Colin Graeme Roe
PORTRAIT OF A TERRIER WITH A BLUE BOW by E. Williams
HERDING DOG by Spanish School 19/20th Century
A GOOD SHOT by Henry Wilkinson
INCIDENT IN THE CLASSROOM by Lucien Gerard
THE NEW STABLE COMPANION by Julius von Blaas
SLEEPING IN by Pamela Dennis Hall
HUNTER AND DOG by Fritz Krostewitz
TITLE UNKNOWN by Robert Graves
W.C. PRIVE by Boris O'Klein

About DFW Elite Toy Museum
Called "the repository of cool stuff" by the Fort Worth Star Telegram, DFW Elite Toy Museum is home to more than 3,000 rare and antique toys and other historical items. Admission is free. To learn about current exhibits or arrange group tours, visit DFWEliteToyMuseum.com or call (817) 834-3625.

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