Fifteen Minutes of Fame

In honor of the "Canis Major" exhibition currently being staged at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, I thought you might like to see Phoebe Feldman, a la Warhol. I think Warhol would have approved because, as the show depicts, he was quite the animal lover.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Warhol wrote, "I never met a pet I didn't like" and those that knew him vouch for the collection of cats and dogs he amassed over his lifetime. The most visible pets were his dachshunds, Amos and Archie (love that name choice!) who accompanied him everywhere. There is a photo in the show from High Times magazine that depicts Warhol and Truman Capote, with Archie tucked under his arm.

Of course there is the famous Warhol cow wallpaper and numerous representations of beasts including horses, parrots, dogs and fish in his signature hues of turquoise, orange and shocking pink. Greeting visitors at the entrance to the show is Cecil, a huge stuffed Great Dane, that apparently once stood guard at the entrance to his Silver Factory in New York City between 1969-87.

Although Warhol originally believed the dog was owned by Cecil B. DeMille (hence his name), according to canine photographer and genealogist Kerrin Winter-Churchill, the dog was actually named Ador Tipp Topp and among his many show ring accolades was the Best in Show title at Westminster Kennel Club Show sometime in the 1920s. After his death, Ador was mounted by a taxidermist who included him in a dog hall of fame at Yale University's Peabody Museum. In 1964, a Yale Drama student bought a dozen of these dogs for $10 and later sold the Great Dane to an antiques dealer who later sold him to Warhol, complete with a fake "pedigree."

No doubt, Ador Tipp Topp is enjoying the last laugh, having achieved more than his predicted "15 minutes of fame." As for Phoebe, well she is always ready for her close-up.