Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show may be over, but this dog show is ready to begin! For this exhibition, we’ve searched through the Hirschfeld archive for images of dogs of every size and shape. In many cases, the actual breed was noted on the record of the drawing. In others, we’re giving you our best educated guess. Dogs appear in drawings in nearly every category from theatre, film, television, music, and literature, as well as politics, private commissions, and Hirschfeld’s earliest lithographs.

We have separated the dogs seen in this show by breed, just as they do in conformation dog shows. Conformation dog shows are not a beauty contest and different breeds are not judged against each other. Each purebred dog breed has an established standard which may vary from organizations, and dogs are judged based on that standard. Judges are looking for the dog that best exemplifies the breed standard. 

There are breeds from each of the seven American Kennel Club groups represented: Sporting, Working, Terrier, Hound, Toy, Herding, and Non-Sporting and range in date from 1924 and through 2001. We have added a few at the end in a category we called the “Miscellaneous Mutt Group. You’ll learn about some of the most famous dogs in 20th century media, some dogs who weren’t so famous but well-loved by their humans, and learn some fun facts about different breeds. Maybe you’ll even fall in love with a breed and start looking for your next best friend. 

Katherine Eastman

Archives Manager

On her days off, Eastman practices as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. She brings her two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Chandler and Bennett to work every day. The Al Hirschfeld Foundation is waiting for her to train them to sniff out NINAs.

You can see their adventures on Instagram @KatherineAndCavaliers.