Louis Wain

British · 1860–1939 · Painter, Draughtsman

Louis William Wain was an English artist best known for his drawings of anthropomorphised cats and kittens. (Wikipedia)

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49lots offered2016–2026years recorded96%sold (46)$1.4kSign up free to seemedian price

1 work by Louis Wain coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

Record prices

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To Be Let UnfurnishedLyon & Turnbull · Oct 2023£23,940≈ $28,999≈ €27,510Sign up to see
Hockey, circa 1904Lyon & Turnbull · Oct 2023£12,600≈ $15,262≈ €14,479Sign up to see
Carol SingingHelmuth Stone Gallery · Aug 2020$11,970$9,500 + $2,470 premium≈ £9,111≈ €10,104Sign up to see

Louis Wain’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

Coming up at auction

1 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

Listed from the auction houses’ own websites; estimates are the houses’ own, not results.

ArtSell has recorded 48 auction results for Louis Wain between 2016 and 2026, of which 46 sold (96%). A further 1 lot was offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $32Sign up free to see to $29kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $29kSign up free to see for To Be Let Unfurnished at Lyon & Turnbull in October 2023. The most common medium is drawings (24 lots). Most results come from Toovey's (18), Bonhams (15) and Sworders (8).

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50 results · page 1 of 2

Lucky Futurist Cat, designed circa 1915, executed circa 1930
Sculpture
12.5 cm high, 9.5 cm wide, 5 cm deep
Bonhams · Mar 17, 2026 · Lot 13
£1,536≈ $2,049≈ €1,777Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £600–800View at Bonhams ↗
'Lucky Black Cat' spill vase, designed 1915, executed circa 1930
Sculpture
12.5 cm high, 8 cm wide, 5.5 cm deep
Bonhams · Mar 17, 2026 · Lot 14
£1,792≈ $2,391≈ €2,073Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £500–700View at Bonhams ↗
'Lucky Bully Bulldog', spill vase, designed circa 1915, executed circa 1930
Sculpture
9 cm high, 13 cm wide, 6 cm deep
Bonhams · Mar 17, 2026 · Lot 15
£704≈ $939≈ €815Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £600–800View at Bonhams ↗
Study Of A Cat, Drawing
Drawing
35cm x 25cm
Lawrences Auctioneers · Oct 14, 2025 · Lot 326
£1,200≈ $1,591≈ €1,377HammerSign up free to seeEst. £800–View at Lawrences Auctioneers ↗
Jack In A Box
Watercolor
21cm x 16.5cm
Elstob & Elstob · Mar 27, 2025 · Lot 1247
£4,000≈ $5,178≈ €4,801HammerSign up free to seeView at Elstob & Elstob ↗
Bathtime for the Dog Show
Watercolor
38cm x 28cm
Toovey's · Mar 19, 2025 · Lot 31
£2,000≈ $2,592≈ €2,379HammerSign up free to seeView at Toovey's ↗
The Knapsbury Cat
Watercolor
17cm x 22cm
Toovey's · Mar 19, 2025 · Lot 32
£850≈ $1,102≈ €1,011HammerSign up free to seeView at Toovey's ↗
Let the Dog see the Rabbit
Watercolor
17cm x 22cm
Toovey's · Mar 19, 2025 · Lot 33
£1,400≈ $1,815≈ €1,665HammerSign up free to seeView at Toovey's ↗
Darby & Joan
Drawing
16.5cm x 19cm
Toovey's · Mar 19, 2025 · Lot 34
£300≈ $389≈ €357HammerSign up free to seeView at Toovey's ↗
The Chase
Drawing
17.5cm x 22cm
Toovey's · Mar 19, 2025 · Lot 35
£200≈ $259≈ €238HammerSign up free to seeView at Toovey's ↗

Also offered, result not published (1)

Lots by Louis Wain that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Louis Wain works on paper (34)Louis Wain watercolors (9)Louis Wain drawings (24)Louis Wain sculpture (3)

Louis Wain: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Louis Wain at auction?

$28,999Sign up free to see, for To Be Let Unfurnished at Lyon & Turnbull (October 2023) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Louis Wain?

The median sale price is $1.4kSign up free to see across 46 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Louis Wain have sold at auction?

46 of 48 recorded lots sold between 2016 and 2026. 1 further lot was offered with no published result and is not counted.

Which auction houses sell Louis Wain?

Toovey's, Bonhams and Sworders account for the most recorded results. Toovey's · Bonhams · Sworders

About Louis Wain

In museum collections

I Am Happy Because Everybody Loves Me, 1928
Bethlem Museum of the Mind · Public domain
Cat with a cigar, 1879
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Biography and museum images →