Description
A Friend in Need, also known as "Dogs Playing Poker", is a series of oil paintings by the American artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. The painting shows several dogs playing poker at a card table, as if they were human beings.
What makes this series of paintings interesting is that they have become an icon of popular culture and have been used in various media such as commercials, TV shows, movies, and even in music. In addition, the series of paintings has been subject to various interpretations, from a simple representation of everyday life to a social critique of gambling and greed.
Interestingly, in 2015, one of the paintings in the series, "A Bold Bluff", sold at auction for over $650,000 USD. This shows that the series of paintings is still highly valued today and continues to fascinate art lovers and pop culture aficionados alike.
Another interesting fact about the painting "A Friend in Need" is that the series originally consisted of eighteen individual paintings. The paintings were commissioned by the Brown & Bigelow cigar company in 1903 for use in their advertising campaign.
The paintings were very popular at the time and were sold as prints and calendars. However, after the Great Depression, the popularity of the series waned, and it wasn't until the 1970s that the paintings regained popularity thanks to their use in popular culture.
Today, the "A Friend In Need" series remains one of the most popular works of art in the United States and has become an iconic fixture in the country's popular culture. In addition, the series of paintings has inspired various artworks and parodies, demonstrating its great influence on popular culture.
A Friend In Need, or Dogs Playing Poker, is ranked no. 63 on the list of famous paintings