This book offers a richly textured social history of dogs, tracing the ways in which they have been woven into human life during a period of rapid cultural and social change. Focusing on the years between 1860 and 1920, a time when industrialization, urbanization, and shifting social classes were transforming everyday existence. The book explores how dogs were not only companions but also symbols of status, identity, and affection. From working dogs in rural settings to cherished lapdogs in middle-class parlors, these animals reflected the values, aspirations, and anxieties of the societies that kept them.
What sets this volume apart is its extraordinary visual archive: more than 160 early photographs that capture the intimate, often tender relationships between people and their dogs. These images, ranging from formal studio portraits to candid outdoor scenes, reveal how deeply dogs were embedded in family life, leisure, travel, and even as circus performers. The photographs not only document breeds and fashions of the era but also serve as poignant testimony to the enduring bond between humans and animals.
Together, the narrative and images create a compelling portrait of dogs as both ordinary and extraordinary presences in modern history. Readers will come away with a deeper appreciation of how the role of the dog evolved during these pivotal decades, shaping, and being shaped, by the worlds of work, home, and affection. The book is at once a study of cultural history, a meditation on companionship, and a visual record of a shared past that still resonates today.