Dogs Playing Poker is a series of oil paintings by C. M. Coolidge. In 1903, the advertising firm Brown & Bigelow commissioned a series of 16 paintings from Coolidge to depict dogs acting like humans. Of these 16, nine show the dogs seated around a card table, playing poker and smoking cigars. They show various stages of what might be the same poker game; for example, in A Bold Bluff, a Saint Bernard's hand can be seen by the viewer but not by the other dogs; in Waterloo, the Saint Bernard takes his winnings. Looks Like Four of a Kind is a well-known painting that was a follow-on to the original series.
The series has a kitschy appeal that has made it part of American pop culture. For example, in Larry Shue's play The Foreigner , a character staying in a lodge remarks she does not want to be in her room because "the damned painting [in there] is Dogs Playing Poker."
There was a PC video game based on the paintings.
On February 16, 2005, two of the paintings sold for US$590,400. [1]
References
- San Jose Mercury News, Feb 11, 2005; "A New York auction offers artistic treats for dog lovers"
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