On Feb. 5, 1956, about 100 dogs, cats and “lesser creatures” turned out for what a Times staff writer called “a howling good time” at the thirty-fourth annual pet show. The article goes on to describe the swaths of creatures that attended the event at the Madison Square Boys Club, including pigeons, parakeets, canaries, goldfish, hamsters, turtles and one snail, Sammy, who was toted around by his 14-year-old owner in a small jar “thoughtfully lined with lettuce.” Veterinarian Dr. George Watson Little, who judged the pet show, said he would look for “good health and good temperament” when picking a winner.
Surely one of countless adorable moments from the event, this photo shows a white kitten named Dutchess getting acquainted with Grandpa the turtle.
This photograph, which appeared alongside the 1956 article, is from The New York Times “morgue” — the basement repository in Times Square where approximately six million pictures are stored. It is one of the oldest, largest and most comprehensive libraries in the world, with photos dating back to the turn of the last century. It’s also a working archive — its black-and-white photographs are used every day for the newspaper. To maintain the historical integrity of the image, the photograph is reprinted in its original hard-copy condition, showing cropping indicators, reference numbers and airbrushing by retouchers to highlight specific areas.
