Postcard, "A Literary Cat," 1909

Depictions of cats and kittens often appeared in art and folk art in the United States. Inexpensive lithograph prints made in the mid-19th century helped to make this topic popular. Starting in the late 1890s picture postcards included these types of popular illustrations of cats. Sending colorful postcards through the U.S. mail continued to be widespread well into the 1910s.