One of my favourite posts so far this year has been this one, on the classic American Gothic painting.
I loved doing the research, finding out about it and writing about it.
So I thought I’d take another classic painting and find out about it.
This, my friends…
…is ‘Dogs Playing Poker’.
It was one of a series of sixteen oil paintings, made by C.M. Coolidge in 1908, on commission by Brown & Bigelow, to advertise their cigars.
And Dogs Playing Poker has been reproduced in every imaginable incarnation ever since:



The more modern ones are also a little crazy:
And some, like this one, are even quite realistic looking:
He, he he, some people have a lot of time on their hands. Not to mention, a lot of dogs.
This version appeared in an episode of The Simpsons:
In fact, it’s been such a popular series, it’s even sprung a series of hysterical offshoots.
Like Gods Playing Poker:
Love the addition
of Elvis as a God in that one.
of Elvis as a God in that one.
I wouldn’t want to play poker with a bunch of Gods, there’d just be no chance of winning at all, and if by some fluke you did beat one, it would be a punishment of a brutal death by lightning bolt, for sure.
And another favourite off shoot of Dogs Playing Poker – there’s ‘Serial Killers from Movies Playing Poker’:
Which is by Ray Frendon and is available here.
Someone has even tried Cats Playing Poker:
But cats are so aloof, you wouldn’t want to play poker with them.
So after all this research, I thought I’d leave you with one quick piece of advice:
If you ever find yourself playing poker with a bunch of dogs, watch your back. Cos you know what they say – you should never trust anyone who can lick their own balls.