In the 1950s, Andy Warhol explored basic printmaking for his self-published portfolios, books, and commercial illustrations. He reproduced his blotted-line ink drawings as offset lithographs, usually in one color and on white paper, sometimes with hand-colored elements. Warhol’s work in the 1950s was heavily influenced by Julia Warhola’s illustrative style and content. Inspired by his mother’s love of cats, Warhol produced 25 Cats Name[d] Sam. His mother did the lettering, and Warhol’s friends and studio assistants attended “coloring parties” to paint in the cats with brightly colored watercolor dyes. The cats are rendered carefully, with focus on form and color. 25 Cats Name[d] Sam reflects Warhol’s deeply personal connection with his mother.

Introduction

Published in 1954, 25 Cats Named Sam and One Blue Pussy is one of the earliest and most charming artistic projects created by Andy Warhol before his rise as the central figure of Pop Art. The work takes the form of a small illustrated artist’s book containing hand-colored lithographs of cats, each accompanied by playful calligraphic lettering. Despite the title, the book actually presents sixteen cats rather than twenty-five, each humorously identified as “Sam.” The final image depicts a distinctive blue-colored cat, referenced by the cheeky phrase “one blue pussy.” This whimsical discrepancy between title and content reflects Warhol’s early sense of irony and playful subversion of expectations.

The cats appear in a variety of stylized poses (sitting upright, stretching, curling, or gazing outward) each rendered with elegant lines and expressive coloration. Warhol’s use of vibrant watercolor washes gives every cat an individual personality, transforming simple animal portraits into lively characters.

Technique and Production

The book was produced using offset lithography, with many copies hand-colored using watercolor by Warhol and his mother, Julia Warhola, who also contributed the distinctive hand-lettered text. Julia’s decorative script, slightly naïve yet charming, became a recognizable element of Warhol’s early design language.

Approximately 190 copies of the book were produced, although the edition is somewhat irregular, as Warhol often assembled and colored the books himself rather than following strict publishing conventions. Because each example was partially hand-colored, individual copies show variations in palette and intensity, giving them a semi-unique character despite belonging to the same edition.

This handmade aspect places the book somewhere between a printed edition and an artist’s multiple, reflecting Warhol’s early fascination with the intersection of art, design, and reproduction.

Context of Creation

During the early 1950s, Warhol was working primarily as a commercial illustrator in New York, producing advertisements and magazine drawings. His delicate line style, often referred to as the “blotted line” technique, was widely admired in fashion and editorial illustration.

Cats were a natural subject. Warhol and his mother reportedly lived with more than twenty cats in their Manhattan apartment, many of them indeed named Sam. The book therefore reflects both a personal environment and a lighthearted domestic world far removed from the cool industrial imagery that would later define Pop Art.

25 Cats Named Sam and One Blue Pussy was not distributed through traditional publishers but rather shared among friends, collectors, and clients, functioning almost as a creative calling card for the young artist.

Meaning and Artistic Interest

While seemingly playful, the book already reveals several themes that would become central to Warhol’s later career.

First, it demonstrates his fascination with multiplicity and repetition. The repeated depiction of similar cats, each slightly different, anticipates the serial imagery that would later appear in his iconic prints of Marilyn Monroe, Campbell’s Soup Cans, and Elvis Presley.

Second, the work explores the boundary between commercial illustration and fine art. At the time, illustrated books and commercial graphics were rarely considered high art, yet Warhol embraced these mediums as legitimate creative territory.

Finally, the humorous title and stylized presentation show Warhol’s early mastery of irony and playful provocation, qualities that would later define his public persona.

Legacy within Warhol’s Oeuvre

Today, 25 Cats Named Sam and One Blue Pussy is recognized as one of the earliest collectible works by Andy Warhol. It belongs to a small group of illustrated books he produced during the 1950s, alongside titles such as A Is an Alphabet (1953) and Wild Raspberries (1959). These projects provide a fascinating glimpse into the pre-Pop Warhol, revealing an artist already experimenting with repetition, graphic design, and the relationship between art and mass production. Art historians often view the book as a precursor to Warhol’s later practice, demonstrating how his aesthetic sensibility developed long before the emergence of Pop Art in the early 1960s.

Because of its small production and fragile format, surviving examples of 25 Cats Named Sam and One Blue Pussy are relatively scarce. The condition of the book, particularly the presence of the original binding and the quality of the watercolor coloring, plays a major role in determining value. The work is highly sought after by collectors interested in early Warhol material, especially pieces that predate his Pop Art breakthrough. In the broader Warhol market, the book occupies a unique position. While it is more intimate and modest in scale than his later prints and paintings, it represents a rare glimpse into the formative years of one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. For collectors and historians alike, it captures Warhol at a moment when his distinctive artistic language was just beginning to emerge.

25 Cats Name(d) Sam and one Blue Pussy

25 Cats Name(d) Sam and one Blue Pussy

The complete artist’s book of eighteen offset lithographs
Medium: Offset lithograph with hand-coloring in watercolor on Ticonderoga Text laid paper
Year: circa 1954
Edition: 190
Overall: 9 1/4 x 6 1/8 inches (23.5 x 15.6 cm)
Publisher: The Artist, New-York
Printer: Seymour Berlin
Literature: Feldman & Schellmann IV.52A-68A

COLOPHON TEXT
“This edition consists of 190 Copis (sic) which has been printed by Seymour Berlin P.I. 9.8070.
This copy no__ [number written in and signed Andy Warhol].
25 Cats name(d) Sam and one Blue [Pussy] was written by Charles Lisanby”
The lettering was done by Warhol’s mother, Julia Warhola.

Cover Page

1. Colophon and F&S IV52.A

2. F&S IV.53A

3. F&S IV.54A

4. F&S IV.55A

5. F&S IV.56A

6. F&S IV.57A

7. F&S IV.58A

8. F&S IV.59A

9. F&S IV.60A

10. F&S IV.61A

11. F&S IV.62A

12. F&S IV.63A

13. F&S IV.64A

14. F&S IV.65A

15. F&S IV.66A

16. F&S IV.67A

17. F&S IV.68A

 Complete Books

SBI Art Auction: 15 March 2026
Estimated: JPY 10,000,000 – 15,000,000
JPY 24,150,000 / USD 151,650
COMPLETE SET

ANDY WARHOL
25 Cats Name(d) Sam and One Blue Pussy (F. & S. Ⅳ.52B-68B), 1954
Offset lithograph and watercolor on paper (the complete set of 18 works)
Bound as a book
Signed “Andy Warhol” by the artist’s mother and numbered “69” on the colophon
From the edition of 190

Doyle New-York: 23 October 2025
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 83,050
COMPLETE SET

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
25 CATS NAME[D] SAM AND ONE BLUE PUSSY, circa 1954
(FELDMAN/SCHELLMAN IV.52A-68A)
Complete set of 18 hand-colored offset lithographs on laid paper
Signed Andy Warhol by the artist’s mother and numbered 69 in pencil on the colophon
Dedicated to Mister Haak in pencil on the cover lithograph
From the edition of 190
Published by the artist, New York
The cover lithograph affixed to original white buckram boards

Christie’s New-York: 16 April 2024
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 119,700
COMPLETE SET

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
25 Cats Name(d) Sam and One Blue Pussy, circa 1954
The complete artist’s book of eighteen offset lithographs with hand-coloring in watercolor on Ticonderoga Text laid paper,
Signed ‘Andy Warhol’ by the artist’s mother in ink
Numbered 168 of 190 on the colophon
With the original buckram boards

Christie’s online: 27 March 2024
Estimated: GBP 50,000 – 70,000
GBP 88,200 / USD 111,405
COMPLETE SET

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
25 Cats Name(d) Sam and one Blue Pussy, circa 1954
The complete artist’s book of eighteen offset lithographs with hand-coloring in watercolor on Ticonderoga Text laid paper
Signed ‘Andy Warhol’ by the artist’s mother and numbered 69 in pencil on the colophon, from the edition of 190
With the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, Inc. ink stamp and numbered ‘ A267-076’ in pencil on the endpaper Bound with the original buckram boards (as issued)

Christie’s New-York: 20 April 2023
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 113,400
COMPLETE SET

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
25 Cats Name(d) Sam and one Blue Pussy, circa 1954
The complete artist’s book of eighteen offset lithographs with hand-coloring in watercolor
Signed ‘Andy Warhol’ by the artist’s mother and dedicated ‘Bradbury Thompson’ in blue ball-point pen Numbered 8 of 190 on the colophon, with the original buckram boards
This copy is numbered 8 of 190 and dedicated to Bradbury Thompson
Art director of Mademoiselle magazine
Who had commissioned Warhol to do fashion illustration during this time.

Single Plates

SBI Art Auction: 25 May 2024
Estimated: JPY 300,000 – 500,000
JPY 1,667,500 / USD 10,624

ANDY WARHOL
Cat named Sam (F&S Ⅳ.58), 1954
Offset lithograph and watercolor
From the edition of 190

Bonhams New-York: 9 May 2023
Estimated: USD 3,000 – 5,000
USD 4,845

LA Modern: 26 April 2023
Estimated: USD 3,000 – 5,000
USD 5,870