The Dancing Dogs, LeBlond Oval Print
The Dancing Dogs
An itinerant entertainer performs with trained dogs for village onlookers.
From The LeBlond Book by C. T. Courtney Lewis, 1920, page 98
On the left is the house of ‘S. Smith, Laundress,’ in front of which are two dressed-up dogs, dancing at the dictation of a boy, who, by the aid of a whistle and a small drum, provides the appropriate music. Mrs. Smith, her daughter, and four grandchildren, provide the audience. Another charming cottage, surrounded by trees, is seen next door, opposite which a boy with a hoop is hastening to see the show. Strutt, in his ‘Sports and Pastimes,’ 1831, says: ‘Dancing dogs, in the present day, make their appearance in the public streets of the Metropolis; but their masters meet with very little encouragement, except from the lower classes of the people and from children, and of course the performance is rarely worthy of notice.’ The print is signed on the bottom center.
Karen, please help me understand: is Le Blond part of your family, or is it Lewis? Please and thanks!
Phil Brown
Pmb1267@gmail.com
The LeBlond line is my ancestry, not Lewis. https://www.karenfurst.com/blog/leblond-prints/